It’s been a while, but Red Sox fans have seen this before.
Rafael Devers made his first game back at Fenway Park as an opposing player memorable, hitting his 26th home run of the season Friday night for the Giants in their 6-4 loss against his old club.
Devers returned to the ballpark where he spent the first nine seasons of his major league career until the Red Sox traded him to the Giants in June of 2025.
“I don’t want to think about the past, I don’t want to talk about the past,” Devers said through an interpreter before the game. “But at the same time, we’re all men, we’re all grownups and you have to understand that this is the business of baseball. But at the same time, you make mistakes and you have to move on and mature.”
He received a mixed reaction from fans at Fenway, but the boos seemed to mostly outweigh the smattering of applause as a smiling Devers took to the plate for the first time in the top of the first.
Devers’ most significant moment came at the plate during the fourth inning, his second at bat of the game.
The Giants entered the inning trailing 5-1 after the Red Sox scored five runs against Logan Webb in the bottom of the third.
With two outs in the fourth, Drew Gilbert hit a two-run home run off Red Sox starter Sonny Gray to cut the deficit to 5-3.
Devers came to the plate next and took Gray dead center, taking a four-seam fastball yard to bring the Giants within a run of his old team, cutting the lead 5-4.
It was Devers’ 26th home run of the season and his first at Fenway Park since leaving the Red Sox.
Devers said he is finding a home with the Giants and didn’t want to get into any comparisons of both franchises.
“I can’t compare (the two teams),” Devers said. “The only thing I can say is that is my team, I’ve very comfortable, they have supported me, they have trusted. I’m just hoping to continue doing well for them.”
Devers also said he has no regrets about how his time in Boston came to an end.
“I feel really good. It’s been a year. I think I have matured there in a year,” Devers said. “I think I have learned as an athlete there are things that are going to happen. What you have to do is move forward and learn from that.”
Entering Friday, the 29-year-old had played in all 127 of the Giants’ games and was hitting .244 with a .320 on-base percentage and .470 slugging percentage.
He had 117 hits, including 31 doubles and 25 home runs, along with 69 RBIs and 67 runs scored.
Devers’ .789 OPS is his lowest since 2018 — his first full MLB season — but he’s still top three among Giants hitters in WAR for the fourth-place NL West club.
The Red Sox originally signed Devers as an international free agent in 2013.
He debuted in 2017 and became one of the franchise’s most productive hitters, helping the team win the 2018 World Series, where he hit .294 in the postseason overall.
His relationship with the organization worsened during the 2025 season following disagreements over his defensive role, and Boston eventually traded him to the Giants.
— with AP
