Rafael Devers hits his first Giants home run against the Red Sox, his former team

[ad_1] SAN FRANCISCO — For Rafael Devers, his first dwelling run for San Francisco felt just like the 215 he hit for Boston — even when this one got here in opposition to the Crimson Sox simply six days after his stunning commerce to the Giants.

Devers delighted his new followers in San Francisco when he related for a two-run homer in opposition to his former workforce on Saturday to assist gasoline a 3-2 win for the Giants.

“Nothing extra particular than another dwelling run that I hit,” he stated via an interpreter. “I’m simply right here and completely happy that I used to be capable of contribute for the workforce’s win.”

Devers started his first sequence in opposition to the Crimson Sox by going 0 for five on Friday night time and grounding out in his first at-bat Saturday. He then delivered simply what his new workforce had been anticipating when he hit an opposite-field drive off Brayan Bello over the left-field fence for a two-run homer within the third inning.

“That’s sort of typical him too, simply let it journey and catch it late and block it out to left subject,” supervisor Bob Melvin stated. “He’s executed it so many occasions in Boston. This park sort of performs that option to lefties as properly. I feel to get that one off his again, feels good about that, clearly being extremely impactful within the final result of the sport. Now he can settle in and do his factor.”

Devers acquired loud cheers from the Oracle Park crowd of 39,027 as he rounded the bases for his 216th profession dwelling run that simply occurred to be caught by a fan in a Crimson Sox T-shirt.

“As quickly as he hit it, you sort of really feel virtually slightly weight fell off his shoulders when he hit that ball,” Giants starter Landen Roupp stated. “You would simply see it. We anticipate many extra from him in that space. Actually excited to have him on the workforce and he will likely be an enormous assist.”

Devers grew to become the tenth participant to homer for and in opposition to the identical workforce in a span of seven days or fewer, in line with Sportradar. The final participant to do it was Abraham Toro, who homered for Houston in opposition to Seattle on July 26, 2021, after which for the Mariners in opposition to the Astros the following day.

That is the third time it occurred with a participant traded by the Crimson Sox. Don Lenhardt and Walt Dropo each did it in 1952, with their homers for Detroit in opposition to Boston coming in the identical sport on June 6 that season, three days after they have been traded collectively in an eight-player deal.

Devers additionally joined Willie Mays, Jimmie Foxx and 4 different gamers who hit their first 200 profession homers with one workforce after which had their first homer on their new workforce come in opposition to their former workforce.

Devers was traded by Boston lower than two years right into a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension that he signed in 2023.

Devers’ relationship with the Crimson Sox started to deteriorate when the workforce signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman throughout spring coaching and requested Devers to maneuver to DH; he balked earlier than agreeing to the swap. When first baseman Triston Casas sustained a season-ending knee harm, the Crimson Sox approached Devers about taking part in the sphere and he declined, saying the entrance workplace “ought to do their jobs” and search for one other participant.

A day after Devers’ feedback to the media about taking part in first, Crimson Sox proprietor John Henry, workforce president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas Metropolis to fulfill with Devers and supervisor Alex Cora.

Devers’ stance didn’t change and he was finally traded to San Francisco the place he's practising at first base to play there later this season. Devers stated Friday that he wouldn’t have executed something in another way in his time in Boston, including that he was as completely happy as he has been in years after becoming a member of the Giants.