Rafael Devers finds his groove in solid first impression on Giants debut

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SAN FRANCISCO — As cameras clicked and flashbulbs popped and Rafael Devers held up his No.16 Giants jersey for the first time Tuesday afternoon, an impatient voice shouted from the wings.

“¡Póntela! ¡Póntela!”

Willy Adames was among the contingent of Giants players who attended the press conference on the suite level to introduce Devers. Adames wasn’t interested in the whats and whys and hows behind the franchise’s most transformative trade in a generation — including the juicy drama and acrimonious conditions in which the Boston Red Sox would seek to jettison a bona fide star just 28 months after signing him to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract.

All Adames wanted to witness was the moment that Devers buttoned up his new jersey. Whether you get dressed in front of a locker or in a phone booth, there’s something transformative about a costume change. Until that happened, all of this remained a concept. Adames was desperate to see it become real.

Put it on! Put it on!

Devers put on a classic Giants home jersey for the first time, and a few hours later, he donned the 1970s groove-inspired and purple-splotched version. He found his own groove quickly enough, finding the right-center gap with an RBI double in his second at-bat and lining a single in a ninth-inning rally that fizzled out in a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on the shores of McCovey Cove.

“Welcome to San Francisco, Mr. Devers” – Mike Krukow pic.twitter.com/tptUEkZ4sj

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 18, 2025

The night lacked a crescendo and the Giants lost their third consecutive game. Given the impact of Cleveland left fielder Steven Kwan, who doubled up Casey Schmitt on a lineout in the eighth inning and whose accurate arm sufficiently deterred Jung Hoo Lee from attempting to score on a fly ball in the ninth, the result might have served as a reminder that pitching and defense will always carry the day in this ballpark.

But a special energy crackles in the grandstands when a hitter who drips with danger steps to the plate. The ballpark pulsated with anticipation every time Devers stepped to the plate. The fans stood for the entirety of his at-bats and chanted his name. The announced attendance of 36,222 included several thousand who sprung for tickets following Sunday’s slack-jawing news that the Giants had acquired a 28-year-old widely viewed as one of the most dangerous hitters in the sport.

There might be no bigger fan of the Giants’ four-for-one trade than the person who stood on first base in the third inning when Devers connected on a 2-0 fastball and split the outfielders. Third base coach Matt Williams waved Adames home, but that was a mere formality. Adames would’ve run through a stop sign, a brick wall, an alien forcefield and a burning building to account for Devers’ first RBI in a Giants uniform. Even before he crossed the plate, Adames had broken into a wide smile.

“Send me, don’t send me,” Adames joked. “I’m like, ‘I’m scoring, I don’t care. I’m going home.’”

The Giants’ only problem was that they didn’t create enough RBI opportunities for Devers and the hitters who received them couldn’t come through. They were 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 runners. But Adames looked back on a night in which he saw plenty of pitches in the strike zone and didn’t dismiss the idea that the new guy standing in the on-deck circle might already be exerting his influence.

“I didn’t think about that until now, but I know in the long run, it’s going to be comfortable having someone like him behind me,” Adames said. “He told me he was a little nervous. I said, ‘Relax. You’re going to be amazing here. Just chill. I know there’s a lot going on, a press conference, cameras, everybody looking at you. But just play your game.’ Once the game started, he looked a lot more comfortable.”

That’s what Giants manager Bob Melvin noticed, too.

“You have to realize he’s been in Boston his whole career and all of a sudden he’s here,” Melvin said. “It’s a completely different environment, completely different team, he doesn’t know anybody on the team, he shows up and he’s already a fan favorite. Gets a couple at-bats, couple hits, drives in a run for us. There’s a lot going on emotionally and we just assume that everything’s great. (But) it’s hard to do what he did today. That’s what impressed me the most — how comfortable he looked in a completely different place for the first time in his career.”

Devers acknowledged feeling nerves in his first at-bat. He didn’t expect to receive such a loud ovation from Giants fans. He didn’t choose to come to San Francisco, of course, and franchise history is replete with examples of hitters who let the wind patterns or the summer chill or the 25-foot brick wall get in their heads. But Devers gave the impression of a hitter who would distill his thoughts to the opponent on the mound.

“It’s the same baseball,” Devers said through Spanish interpreter Erwin Higueros. “I just feel if I make good contact, it’s going to go. I really don’t pay attention to different dimensions of the ballpark.”

Devers started at designated hitter and is likely to remain there for the remainder of the homestand, including this weekend’s hilariously timed series against the Red Sox. Of course, it would be even more hilarious if Devers were to start at first base against Boston after he declined his former team’s request to play the position. This much is clear: there’s a sense of urgency on the part of both Devers and the Giants to become a playable option at first base soon.

“I don’t know a timetable but I know I’ll try to be there as fast as I can and be there when the team needs me,” Devers said. “Starting tomorrow I’m going to take as much grounders as possible at first base and whenever the manager and coaches feel I’m ready, I’m going to be there.”

A new position? Give it some time. For Devers, getting used to a new team was enough for one night.

“I was a little overwhelmed,” Devers said. “But seeing what I saw today with the fans, I think it’s going to be really exciting.”

(D. Ross Cameron / Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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