Rafael Devers fans twice more to give him an MLB-record 12 in Red Sox's first 4 games

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers became the first major leaguer to strike out 12 times in a season’s first four games.

Devers went 0 for 4 with two more strikeouts Sunday in Boston’s 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.

Devers' latest mark for futility came a day after he became the first big leaguer to be fanned 10 times in the first three games of a season.

He's 0 for 16, though he did draw a two-out walk in the ninth Sunday to keep the inning alive and put the potential tying run in scoring position.

The 12 strikeouts broke the previous record of 11 in the first four games, which had been done four times previously since 1901, according to Sportradar.

Brent Rooker of the Athletics struck out 11 times to open last season. The others were Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2020, Minnesota’s Byron Buxton in 2017 and Houston’s Brett Wallace in 2013.

Devers is now solely the Red Sox DH after their offseason acquisition of third baseman Alex Bregman.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb