ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Boston Red Sox star Rafael Devers set a team record when he homered for the sixth consecutive game in Monday night’s 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Devers had shared the mark of five with Jimmie Foxx (1940), Ted Williams (1957), Dick Stuart (1963), George Scott (1977), Jose Canseco (1995) and Bobby Dalbec (2020).

“He’s a freak,” Red Sox winning pitcher Tanner Houck said. “A guy that can hit any pitch at any time, and to see what he’s done, I mean, he’s just an incredible player.”

He is the first major leaguer to do it since the Los Angeles Angels‘ Mike Trout had a seven-game streak Sept. 4-12, 2022.

“I’m very proud to be in that conversation with him,” Devers said through an interpreter. “Obviously we know the type of superstar that he is. He’s a future Hall of Famer and superstar, and to be in the same level with him is very nice.”

The Chicago Cubs‘ Michael Busch had a five-game home run streak earlier this season.

Tampa Bay starter Taj Bradley struck out eight of his first nine batters entering the fourth. Devers was the only Boston batter to put the ball in play over the stretch, hitting a comeback groundout that Bradley deflected to second baseman Brandon Lowe.

After Jarren Duran had a leadoff triple in the fourth and scored on Wilyer Abreu‘s double, Devers connected on a opposite-field homer to left.

“At the moment I wasn’t thinking about that.” Devers said of the record. “It was most about hitting the ball well in the air with men in scoring position. For me to be able to help the team and get ahead with two runs at that point it was a great moment. But yes of course when I got to the dugout and and I saw my teammates, it was a special moment, for sure.”

The homer was Devers’ 10th of the season and extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Both Boston manager Alex Cora and Devers agree that the slugger is not locked in yet at the plate.

“But the accomplishment is amazing,” Cora said. “Six days in a row hitting homers — shoot, I can’t recall how many days in a row I got hits when I played.”

Devers’ six-game homer stretch also tied the longest by a third baseman over the past 100 seasons, joining Colorado‘s Nolan Arenado (2015), Houston‘s Morgan Ensberg (2006) and San Diego‘s Graig Nettles (1984).

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. threw a right hook at Kyle Busch, and suddenly, an otherwise boring All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway had NASCAR fans buzzing heading into next weekend’s marquee Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

Busch had wrecked Stenhouse on the second lap of the $1 million race Sunday night in a move that looked like retaliation for how Stenhouse had raced him earlier. Stenhouse drove his damaged Chevrolet to Busch’s pit stall and parked it, and with no way to get out of the track while the race was going on, stewed in street clothes for hours until Busch arrived at his hauler.

That’s when Stenhouse, after a brief conversation, threw a right hook at the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet, setting off a brief melee that involved members of each driver’s crew — and Stenhouse’s father. The brawl was eventually broken up, but not before more words were exchanged from both sides and Stenhouse vowed, “I’m going to wreck you at Charlotte.”

“Bring it,” Busch replied. “I suck as bad as you,” implying that both drivers are not having great seasons.

The antics could result in a suspension for Stenhouse, the 2023 Daytona 500 champion, other crew members and possibly his father. Busch also could face a penalty if NASCAR determines that he deliberately caused the wreck.

Stenhouse’s fury was evident the moment he parked in Busch’s pit stall, then climbed the pit stand ladder and had words with members of his crew. As Stenhouse climbed down and walked away, his car had to be towed from pit road.

“I parked it there because I figured Kyle would do something similar,” Stenhouse said.

Later, during an interview with Fox Sports, Stenhouse indicated he would confront Busch after the race.

And then he did.

Stenhouse, dressed in yellow shorts and a gray T-shirt, waited for Busch in the infield and confronted him face-to-face before unleashing a punch. Security jumped in and pulled Stenhouse away, falling backward over a tire, while Busch likewise wound up on the ground. Stenhouse’s father, Ricky Sr., got into the fracas and appeared to take at least one of Busch’s punches.

Stenhouse could be heard yelling “Dad!” numerous times, but he couldn’t get to his father.

“First lap of the race, we don’t even have water temp in the car yet and we’re wrecking each other,” Busch said. “I am tired of getting run over by everybody. But that’s what everybody does: everybody runs over everybody to pass everybody.”

Stenhouse clapped back at Busch: “Go back and watch the replay. I didn’t touch you. Not once.”

Stenhouse took another shot at Busch after the fight, saying he had bad-mouthed him ever since Stenhouse once wrecked him at Daytona, and then went on to say that Busch is just frustrated because “he doesn’t run as well as he used to.”

Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, is 13th in points and has yet to win a race this season.

The All-Star Race itself lacked any drama once Kyle Larson arrived by helicopter from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the 2021 Cup Series champion had qualified fifth for his Indy 500 debut earlier in the day.

Pole sitter Joey Logano led all but one of the 200 laps to take home $1 million. It was yet another example of NASCAR’s struggles to find the right short track setup despite allowing the use of multiple variations of tires at North Wilkesboro.

“You couldn’t pass,” runner-up Denny Hamlin said. “I would lose a little bit of air there, and I would try to give my car a break and then run at [Logano] again. Hats off to the track, NASCAR and Goodyear for giving it a try. Hopefully, we learned something here for future short tracks.”

Then he smirked and added, “But at least we had an exciting fight in the end. That’s something to talk about.”

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — A little prep work paid off for Joey Logano.

Logano dominated the short track at North Wilkesboro Speedway leading all but one of 200 laps to win his second All-Star Race on Sunday night and earn $1 million.

Logano started on the pole after posting the fastest time in qualifying on Saturday and was never really challenged, setting a record by leading more laps than any driver has in the race’s 40-year history.

“We were so fast,” Logano said. “We came here before for testing and ran over 800 laps and really figured out what it was going to take to win the race.”

Logano compared it to a scene in the movie “Miracle” about the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team with crew chief Paul Wolfe making him run lap after lap until he was completely exhausted.

“It’s like when the coach is making the team run the suicide drills and he keeps saying, ‘Again! Again!,'” Logano said. “That was Paul Wolfe to me with the testing. I ran 800 laps. I was sore and I had enough.”

Logano has not won a points race this season, so he said this was a big boost for his team.

“The first thing that goes through your mind is gosh, I wish this counted for points,” Logano said. “But let’s be honest, a million is a lot of money and counts for something.”

He also won the All-Star Race in 2016.

Denny Hamlin finished second and Chris Buescher third in a race that lacked drama for the second straight year at the renovated track.

Kyle Larson, who arrived about an hour before the race after spending the afternoon qualifying fifth for the Indianapolis 500 and flying to North Wilkesboro, finished fourth and came up short in the quest to tie Jimmie Johnson for the most All-Star Race wins with four after starting at the back of the field.

The newly paved track and different versions of soft tires were supposed to create more passing. They didn’t.

Hamlin admitted afterward that he just couldn’t get the lead.

“I would run to him, and then you couldn’t pass,” Hamlin said. “I would lose a little bit of air there, and I would try to give my car a break and then run to him again — just have to be so much faster to get around.”

Said Logano: “If it wasn’t for the clean air [and being out front] I would not have won.”

Team Penske president Michael Nelson called it a great day for the organization after they swept the top three starting spots at Indianapolis 500 earlier in the day.

“We have been close this year [in NASCAR] and to finally make it happen on a day like today, if you had to wait this was the day to get that done,” Nelson said. “A great day for Mr. Penske and the whole organization.”

There only real fireworks came on the second lap when Kyle Busch sent Ricky Stenhouse Jr. into the wall after Stenhouse tried to pass him on the first lap. An upset Stenhouse pulled his wrecked car down pit lane and parked in Busch’s pit stall, got out and climbed a ladder to yell at Busch’s crew.

Afterward, Stenhouse confronted Busch in the pits, then threw a punch at Busch igniting a scuffle that involved members of both crews. Stenhouse said that he was tired of Busch “running his mouth talking about me” after he had wrecked him at Daytona in the past.

“I know he is frustrated because he doesn’t run as well as he used to,” Stenhouse said after the race.

Larson was the big story ahead of the race.

He arrived at North Wilkesboro Speedway about an hour before the race following a busy afternoon

His plane landed at Wilkes County Airport and was then transported via helicopter to the racetrack and then taken by golf cart to his hauler to begin preparations for the 200-lap exhibition race.

Fans cheered his arrival into the track and he waved to them along the way.

NASCAR and its broadcast partner Fox helped accommodate the sport’s star attraction and points leader by moving the start of the race back 16 minutes to 8:30 p.m. to ensure he would arrive in time after shocking some in the racing world by qualifying for the Fast 6 at Indianapolis.

Larson will have to do it again next weekend when he attempts to run the double and finish the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Seventeen drivers qualified for the race based on their past accomplishments. All-Star Open winner Ty Gibbs and second place finisher Bubba Wallace advanced into the race on Sunday, along with fan vote winner Noah Gragson.

Hendrick Motorsports vice president of competition Chad Knaus marveled at what Larson was able to do in his first qualifying runs in Indianapolis in an open-wheel racecar against the best drivers in the world.

“We were watching him run and we were like, my gosh, I can’t believe this,” Knaus said. “I was like my goodness how did that happen? Very limited track time. Did a couple of tests. Was able to go up there and he holds a pretty good wheel as anybody I have seen. He is a phenomenal talent. He gets it. He is so emotionally stable. You can put him in just about any environment and he is going to excel.”