On Saturday afternoon, Rafael Devers marked a milestone with the San Francisco Giants by hitting his first home run for the team against his former club, the Boston Red Sox. This crucial blast helped the Giants secure a tight 3-2 victory at home, following Devers’ recent acquisition from Boston.
Devers’ Impact and Game Progression
Devers, who joined the Giants just last Sunday, had struggled initially with a 3-for-17 batting record before connecting for his 16th home run of the season in the third inning. The homer came off Red Sox starter Brayan Bello, with two outs and an 0-1 count. It also brought home Andrew Knizner, who initially reached base due to a fielding error by Red Sox second baseman David Hamilton. Both runs were recorded as unearned.
Batting second for the first time with his new team, Devers had grounded out in the first inning and then delivered the big hit shortly after Heliot Ramos launched a home run of his own, giving the Giants an early 2-0 lead.
Strong Pitching Performance from San Francisco Staff
Starting pitcher Landen Roupp took charge after the early offense, allowing just three singles in six innings while issuing three walks and striking out seven. Two of those hits came from Red Sox infielder Trevor Story, who finished with three hits for the visitors.
Relief pitchers Randy Rodriguez, Tyler Rogers, and Camilo Doval combined to close out the game, with Rodriguez and Rogers each retiring every batter they faced over their innings. Doval earned his 12th save by shutting down the Red Sox’s late rally efforts.
Red Sox Rally Falls Short Despite Late Push
The Boston offense avoided a shutout in the ninth inning against Doval, cutting the deficit to 3-1 courtesy of an inning-opening double by Roman Anthony and consecutive singles by Story and Wilyer Abreu. However, an error by catcher Andrew Knizner allowed Story to score from third on a steal attempt, but the Giants closer quickly retired the final two batters to secure the win.
Bryan Bello exited after six innings, conceding three runs on four hits, with only one of those runs earned. He walked one and struck out six during his outing.
Devers’ Home Run Highlights Giants’ Narrow Victory
Devers finished the game 1-for-4, with his home run and Ramos’ solo shot representing the only extra-base hits for the Giants, who were outhit 6-4 by Boston. The Red Sox dropped to a 3-2 record on their nine-game Western swing, despite strong hitting from Story.
“Both runs were unearned.” —Field Level Media
“Doval then retired Marcelo Mayer and Romy Gonzalez on ground balls to wrap up his 12th save.” —Field Level Media