Rafael Devers Produces In Debut With San Francisco Giants

The Giants' newly acquired slugger went 2-for-5 with an RBI on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians.
San Francisco Giants designated hitter Rafael Devers (16) greets his new teammates in the dugout before taking on the Cleveland Guardians at Oracle Park.
San Francisco Giants designated hitter Rafael Devers (16) greets his new teammates in the dugout before taking on the Cleveland Guardians at Oracle Park. | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

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Going from one coast to the other is a major change of scenery for Rafael Devers, but he still swung the same productive bat with his new team.

Devers, the headliner in one of MLB's biggest trades in recent years, made his debut with the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. After striking out in his first at-bat, Devers gave the Giants a one-run lead in the third with a double to the right center field gap.

He tried to get a rally going in the ninth as the Giants trailed by a run, singling to left center and advancing a runner to second. But San Francisco couldn't bring the runners home, and ultimately lost 3-2 in Devers' team debut.

Despite the loss, Giants fans have to be excited about their new slugger. Devers finished the night 2-for-5 with an RBI double, a single, two strikeouts and a ground out. For the season, he's slashing .274/.401/.505 with 15 home runs, 59 RBIs, 56 walks and 78 strikeouts.

Batting third, he served as the team's designated hitter Tuesday, but said before the game he's open to playing "wherever they want me to play."

The Boston Red Sox traded the three-time All-Star and 2018 World Series champion on Sunday for a package including pitchers Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison and Jose Bello, plus outfield prospect James Tibbs III.

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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony covers baseball for “Fastball on SI.” He has been with the Sports Illustrated network since 2022. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism in 2022. Follow Jack on Twitter @ankony_jack