SAN FRANCISCO — For Rafael Devers, his first home run with the San Francisco Giants felt reminiscent of the 215 he hit during his time with the Boston Red Sox. This particular home run was even more special as it came against his former team just six days after his surprising trade to the Giants. On Saturday, Devers thrilled the crowd at Oracle Park by smashing a two-run homer against the Red Sox, contributing significantly to the Giants' 3-2 victory.
“Nothing more special than any other home run that I hit,” Devers expressed through an interpreter. “I’m just here and happy that I was able to contribute to the team’s win.” Devers started his first series against the Red Sox on a low note, going 0 for 5 on Friday night and grounding out in his initial at-bat on Saturday. However, he quickly turned things around, delivering a powerful opposite-field drive off Brayan Bello that sailed over the left-field fence for a two-run homer in the third inning.
“That’s kind of typical of him too, just let it travel and catch it late and block it out to left field,” said Giants manager Bob Melvin. “He’s done it so many times in Boston. This park kind of plays that way to lefties as well. I think to get that one off his back feels good about that, obviously being incredibly impactful in the outcome of the game. Now he can settle in and do his thing.”
As Devers rounded the bases, he received loud cheers from the Oracle Park crowd of 39,027. His 216th career home run was notably caught by a fan wearing a Red Sox T-shirt. “As soon as he hit it, you could feel almost a little weight fall off his shoulders,” said Giants starter Landen Roupp. “You could just see it. We expect many more from him in that area. Really excited to have him on the team, and he will be a huge help.”
Devers made history by becoming the 10th player to hit home runs for and against the same team within a span of seven days or fewer, according to Sportradar. The last player to achieve this feat was Abraham Toro, who homered for Houston against Seattle on July 26, 2021, and then for the Mariners against the Astros the following day. Notably, this marks the third instance of a player traded by the Red Sox achieving this milestone, with Don Lenhardt and Walt Dropo both accomplishing it in 1952.
Moreover, Devers joined baseball legends like Willie Mays and Jimmie Foxx, becoming part of an elite group of players who hit their first 200 career homers with one team, followed by their first home run with a new team against their former team. Devers was traded by Boston less than two years into his lucrative 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension signed in 2023.
His relationship with the Red Sox began to fray when the team signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training and asked Devers to transition to a designated hitter role. Initially resistant, Devers eventually agreed to the switch. However, when first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury, the Red Sox approached Devers about playing in the field. Devers declined, stating that the front office “should do their jobs” and seek another player.
Following Devers' comments to the media regarding playing first base, Red Sox owner John Henry, team president Sam Kennedy, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City to meet with Devers and manager Alex Cora. Despite their discussions, Devers' stance remained unchanged, ultimately leading to his trade to San Francisco, where he is currently practicing to play first base later this season.
Reflecting on his time with the Red Sox, Devers stated on Friday that he wouldn’t have done anything differently, adding that he feels happier than he has in years after joining the Giants.
