WATCH: Boston Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers punishes Yankees with a rocket to right field, records his 29th HR

The Boston Red Sox and Rafael Devers sent a loud and clear message to their division rivals the New York Yankees on Sunday. After working a victory over the Yanks on Saturday, the Sox followed it up with another emphatic win against their East Coast rivals the following day.

The series between these East Coast powerhouses has been decidedly one-sided as they vie for a playoff spot. The Red Sox secured an 8-3 victory in the first game and an 8-1 triumph in the second.

In a crucial game, the Yankees managed to keep pace until the seventh inning. However, Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt's decision to challenge Rafael Devers proved costly when Devers took advantage of a pitch that drifted too far over the plate, launching a powerful shot to right field.

"Rafael Devers crushes one to the second deck!" - MLB

New York entered the game trailing the Sox by six games. It is currently nine games behind the Seattle Mariners for the final wild card spot.

If the Yanks fail to qualify for the postseason, it will be the first time since 2016 that they have missed out on the playoffs.

Devers is slugging .275/.347/.532 this year and has already amassed 29 home runs and 85 RBIs.

His recent home run was enough to guide the Red Sox to a vital 6-5 win on Sunday and sweep the Yankees.

Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers continues his impressive form versus the New York Yankees

Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run during a baseball game against the New York Yankees

Boston Red Sox infielder Rafael Devers has now homered 23 times against the Yankees in his young MLB career. It is an impressive statistic considering the 26-year-old is only in his seventh season in the majors.

"RAFFY DEVERS IS A CERTIFIED YANKEE DESTROYER!!!" - Boston Sports Gordo

The powerful slugger seems to have a soft spot of the Yankees, who have struggled to figure him out.

New York has struggled to find any consistancy despite the return of 2022 MVP Aaron Judge to the lineup. Boston have impressed during the month of August and are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

It will be interesting to see if any of these two teams can make a late season run and squeeze their way into the MLB postseason.