As Rafael Devers stood on first base for almost 10 minutes after hitting a home run, all I could think about was Bengie Molina.
The Giants' famously-slow former catcher once hit a home run that also forced him to stop at first base. He scraped a ball against Oracle Park's tin roof in right field, a home run by rule but initially called a single.
As umpires reviewed the play, Molina stood on first base—until he didn't. Emmanuel Burriss replaced Molina as a pinch-runner before umpires called it a home run and finished his teammate's home run trot. (The decision caused a lot more trouble than you’d think.)
So as the umpires gathered on Tuesday night, I wondered: Would Devers get to finish his home run trot? Or would he be ejected?
As a career pinch-runner, I can only imagine the thrill of completing someone else's home run trot. But Devers did what Molina could not and stayed in the game.
He trotted. He played third base for the first time in a year. And the Giants continued to look like the team they needed to be on July 2, not September 2.
Up next: The Giants finish out their time in Colorado at 5:40 pm with Robbie Ray (10-6, 3.18 ERA) on the mound. Then it’s off to St. Louis for a series starting Friday.
“As a career pinch runner…” had me chuckle!