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Rafael Devers, the Giants’ newest star, went deep for the first time in orange in black, and he did so against his former club.
Devers hit his first home run as a Giant in the third inning of San Francisco’s 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox. After the game, shortstop Willy Adames dumped a jug of yellow Powerade on the slugger.
“Really, really happy that I was able to contribute to the win,” Devers said postgame. “And hopefully continue to contribute, give my 100% and hopefully we get more wins.”
In the Giants’ victory, Landen Roupp tossed six scoreless innings and Camilo Doval earned his 12th save of the season in dramatic fashion. The Red Sox scored two runs in the top of the ninth before stranding the tying run on third. San Francisco (43-34) remains in second place of the National League West, four games back of the Dodgers.
After Doval escaped with the save, Devers was the first one out of the Giants’ dugout, leading the handshake line with his new teammates.
With two outs in the bottom of the third inning, Devers went the other way on an 0-1, 96 mph fastball. The Giants raved about his ability to use the opposite field when they acquired him, and he displayed just how powerful that skill can be at Oracle Park with the two-run dinger.
“That’s kind of typical him, too,” manager Bob Melvin said. “He can let it travel and catch it late, block it out to left field. He’s done it so many times in Boston and this park kind of plays that way to lefties as well. But I think to get that one off his back, feel good about that.”
The 370-foot shot was Devers’ first home run at Oracle Park in his eighth career game on the shores of McCovey Cove. It gave the Giants a 3-0 lead over Boston after Heliot Ramos hit a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning.
Roupp was chatting with pitching coach J.P. Martinez at the time of Devers’ swing.
“I was like, ‘It kind of feels like a little weight fell off his shoulders when he hit that ball,’” Roupp said. “You could just see it. We expect many more from him in that area. Really excited to have him with the team and I think he’s going to be a huge help.”
Through 78 games this season, the designated hitter has 16 home runs. The Giants haven’t had a player blast 30 homers in a season since Barry Bonds in 2004.
Devers went hitless in his other three at-bats, finishing 1-for-4 with a looking strikeout. In the bottom of the eighth inning, he turned on an inside fastball and sent it into the Bay, but the knock hooked just foul.
In five games with the Giants, Devers is 5-for-20 (.200) with a .273 on-base percentage. Last Sunday’s trade uprooted his life and he’s still getting to know his new teammates and coaches in San Francisco.
Through all of the changes, Melvin said Devers hadn’t been pressing before the homer.
“He never looks like anything affects him since he’s been here,” Melvin said. “There’s so much going on in his life — he goes from Boston to here and the trade and it’s a day. There’s just so much going on. And he’s looked comfortable from the very beginning, about being here and happy. He’s been the same guy the entire time.”
