SF Giants fall 3-2 to Cleveland Guardians in Rafael Devers’ post-trade debut

SAN FRANCISCO – Oracle Park’s crowd greeted Rafael Devers with a standing ovation each at-bat in his San Francisco Giants’ debut Tuesday night.

Fans oohed at every mighty swing, even his two strikeouts. They roared at his first hit – a go-ahead, RBI double to the right-center wall. And they cheered when he singled to left to extend a bottom-of-the-ninth rally.

That was as grand an entrance as Devers would make Tuesday night as the Giants endured a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians to open a nine-game homestand.

“My first at-bat, obviously I was nervous because of the ovation. I wasn’t expecting that,” Devers said of a first-inning strikeout. “Afterward, I felt comfortable and it was great to see the fans welcoming me that way.”

Devers’ first hits as a Giant indeed provided temporary euphoria for Giants’ fans, two days after Boston traded away the high-priced, left-handed slugger.

The Boston Trade Party hit a snag, however.

The Giants couldn’t muster any more run-scoring hits, and pitcher Robbie Ray (8-2) gave up too many to a Cleveland club that just got swept in Seattle. It was the Giants’ third straight defeat and fourth in five games, following a season-best seven-game win streak.

Giants manager Bob Melvin could at least marvel at Devers’ first impression in his new, cross-country home.

“He shows up already a fan favorite,” Melvin said. “He gets a couple hits and he drives in a run for us. There’s a lot going on emotionally. We assume everything‘s great. 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 the first time in his career.”

“It feels weird having a different uniform,” said Devers, a Red Sox the previous 8 1/2 seasons. “But you know what I’ll get used to it. I’ve already turned the page.”

It didn’t take Devers long to mesh into the comeback grit that’s carried the Giants throughout this season. Devers’ ninth-inning single followed one by Jung Hoo Lee ‘s leadoff, and Heliot Ramos drew a walk to load the bases. After Dominic Smith flew out to shallow left, Casey Schmitt came up for his do-or-die moment.

Schmitt struck out. Game over.

“We didn’t come through when we had opportunities to score runs,” Melvin said.

An inning earlier, Schmitt was the potential tying run, until he got doubled off for failing to dive back in time to second base on a Tyler Fitzgerald lineout. Schmitt and Mike Yastrzemski had opened that rally with singles; Yastrzemski had the Giants’ only other extra-base hit, on a sixth-inning double.

Devers’ third-inning double marked his 432nd extra-base hit since 2019, the most in the majors. He was not tempted to test out Triples Alley — “No, no, no,” Devers said — so he cruised into second base as Willy Adames scooted home for a short-lived, 2-1 lead.

Devers batted third as the designated hitter, thus relegating Giants’ RBI-leader Wilmer Flores to the bench; Flores lined out as a pinch-hitter as an eighth-inning rally sputtered.

Fans chanted “RA-FI! RA-FI!” and applauded Devers’ effort as he struck out in his initial at-bat. That came on a 96-mph high heater from starter Stade Cecconi, who struck him out again in the fifth (83-mph slider).

“I was very excited, very nervous at the same time,” Dever said. “I was just hoping to hit one out of the ballpark. But overall, I was very happy with the ovation I got.”

Down 3-2 in the seventh, Devers’ grounded out on a tapper up the first-base line, and a potential Giants rally would end with Dominic Smith striking out to strand two runners.

The Guardians nearly added an insurance run in the ninth, but a replay review confirmed that Helot Ramos threw out Gabriel Arias at home plate courtesy of Logan Porter’s tag.

The Guardians moved ahead 3-2 in the sixth, as Ray gave up a 412-foot home run to Arias on an 0-2 fastball to center field. “I felt like when I made the pitch and he hit it, I thought it was a pop-out,” Ray said. “There’s nothing you can do but tip your hat. I made the pitch I wanted to make: fastball up-and-away off the plate. You don’t see that too often.”

Cleveland had pulled even in the fourth once Ray yielded a David Fry double and a Carlos Santana single.

Ray did not allow a baserunner until Johnathan Rodriguez led off the third with a triple. Austin Hedges’ flew out to the left-field warning track to plate Rodriguez and tie the score at 1. Ray escaped further damage, after Adames botched a two-out grounder for his 11th error this season (tied for the majors’ most).

The Giants emerged with a 1-0 lead after one inning, courtesy of the action before and after Devers’ swing-and-miss debut. Dominic Smith’s two-out RBI single knocked in Lee, who led off with a single and moved into scoring position once Ramos’ left elbow got plunked.

It was the 13th hit in 36 at-bats for Smith since his arrival two weeks ago. Although he started at first base Tuesday night, Flores is slated to rotate into the lineup there for Wednesday’s game. Such is the juggling act Melvin will attempt while grooming Devers for his first-ever action as a first baseman, at least when he’s not the DH in place of Flores.

Devers’ tenure in Boston was marred by his reported refusal to play first base in a pinch. He’s sounds willing to do that and anything else with the Giants, though he’s not sure when he’ll be up to speed.

“I really don’t know a timetable. But I will try to get there as fast as I can and be there when the team needs me,” Devers said.

When a reporter sarcastically asked if he could make his first-base debut Friday when the Red Sox visit, Devers replied: “I don’t know but starting tomorrow and the day after, I’ll take as many grounders as possible at first base. Whenever the manager and the coaches feel I’m ready, I’m going to be ready.”