Milestones keep piling up for Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers

TORONTO — The last Red Sox player to threaten 50 doubles in a single season was his childhood idol.

Rafael Devers grew up as a young third baseman in the Dominican Republic wanting to be Adrian Beltre. That he’s now being mentioned in the same sentence with a potential Hall of Famer brings a smile to his face, but Devers is hungry for more milestones, both in this 2019 season and in the future with Boston.

Devers legged out his 50th double of the season in [...]

TORONTO — The last Red Sox player to threaten 50 doubles in a single season was his childhood idol.

Rafael Devers grew up as a young third baseman in the Dominican Republic wanting to be Adrian Beltre. That he’s now being mentioned in the same sentence with a potential Hall of Famer brings a smile to his face, but Devers is hungry for more milestones, both in this 2019 season and in the future with Boston.

Devers legged out his 50th double of the season in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. It was a hot grounder through the right side and into the corner in right field, one that allowed Devers to turn first and slide into second. He’s just the eighth Red Sox player to reach the mark — the first since Dustin Pedroia collected 54 in 2008 and, at 22, the youngest to do so.

“Everyone knows how I feel about Adrian Beltre — he was my favorite third baseman growing up,” Devers said through translator Bryan Almonte. “To be mentioned in the same breath as him with the season that I’m having is very special.”

That 2010 campaign was one in which Boston and Beltre used one another for mutual benefit. Beltre was coming off an underwhelming stretch with the Mariners and hoping to secure his long-term future. The Red Sox had Kevin Youkilis in his prime, Will Middlebrooks on the way and handed Beltre a one-year, $10-million deal.

Devers is more of a long-term proposition, appearing to have lineup cornerstone potential. He entered Wednesday leading the big leagues with 83 extra-base hits and needed one more home run to become the 10th player in history with 30 or more homers, 100 or more RBI and 100 or more runs scored in a season before turning 23.

“I haven’t had any real injuries this year like in past years,” Devers said. “The fact that I’m fully healthy is why I’m having the season I’m having this year.”

Devers was on the injured list three different times in 2018, battling left shoulder inflammation and a pair of left hamstring strains. He responded by hiring a nutritionist and working out hard over the offseason, returning noticeably slimmer and more durable. Devers has also made significant strides on defense, overcoming what was a rash of errors through the first six weeks of the season to become generally reliable.

“He’s been so consistent at what he does,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “There are a lot of those like [the 50th double]. It’s a hard ground ball and he takes off from the plate thinking two, and he gets to it. He’s been amazing for us.”

Devers beat shortstop Xander Bogaerts to the milestone, and the two teammates could soon make history together. Bogaerts entered Wednesday with 49 doubles of his own and no two Boston players have ever collected 50 in the same season. The 2000 Rockies (Todd Helton, Jeff Cirillo) and 1996 Mariners (Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez) are the only two clubs in big league history to boast two players with 50 doubles or more, and no team has ever counted three.

“If he would have got it first, I would have been really happy for him, too,” Devers said. “It’s not that big of a deal. We’re just trying to finish strong as a club.”