Rafael Devers had two more doubles on Sunday, giving him an MLB-best 46 this season. The third baseman is on pace to easily eclipse 50 two-baggers this year, a feat accomplished just eight times in the Red Sox' 119-year history.
Incredibly, the club record for doubles in a single season is also the Major League record. Red Sox outfielder Earl Webb hit an astounding 67 doubles in 1931. Webb posted freakish output that season, which proved to be an outlier, as his next highest total was a mere 30 doubles.
Here’s the list of Red Sox players who’ve hit 50 or more doubles in a season. It's quite short and reads like a who’s who list of Sox greats:
Earl Webb - 67 (1931) (MLB Record)
Nomar Garciaparra - 56 (2002)
Tris Speaker - 53 (1912)
David Ortiz - 52 (2007)
Nomar Garciaparra - 51 (2000)
Wade Boggs - 51 (1989)
Joe Cronin - 51 (1938)
Dustin Pedroia - 54 (2008)
Fourteen different Red Sox have led the American League in doubles, with several multiple-time winners. Carl Yastrzemski captured the doubles title three times and holds the team career record of 645 – well ahead of the 525 registered by Ted Williams. Williams twice led the AL in doubles with back-to-back titles in 1948 and 1949.
Most incredibly, Devers even has a shot at 60 doubles this season, an exceptionally rare feat. Just six players in Major League history have ever reached that threshold, and five of them did it in the 1930s. Most recently, two players reached the mark way back in 1936.
60-Double Seasons in MLB History
67: Earl Webb, 1931 Red Sox
64: Joe Medwick, 1936 Cardinals
64: George Burns, 1926 Indians
63: Hank Greenberg, 1934 Tigers
62: Paul Waner, 1932 Pirates
60: Charlie Gehringer, 1936 Tigers
Only eight players this century have reached even 55 doubles in a season, reinforcing how rare the accomplishment is.
Devers certainly has a shot at 55 and perhaps even 60. So, even if the Red Sox prove to be less than inspiring down the stretch, Devers’ chase certainly will be most interesting to watch.
