Buster Posey traded for Rafael Devers with Saturday afternoon in mind. A tight Giants-Dodgers game in the late innings, the bases loaded and the No. 3 hitter coming to the plate.
Until 28 days ago, it would've been Jung Hoo Lee. Now it was someone with a track record. Someone you start your pitchers meetings talking about. Someone you fear.
Everything was in place for Devers to have his signature moment as a Giant, and for a split second it looked like he did.
He yanked a slider 101 mph toward Triples Alley. I lurched forward in my chair. Duane Kuiper let out a throaty "high drive," dripping with anticipation and hope.
But it went exactly where the Dodgers thought it might. Andy Pages glided over and snatched it 375 feet from home plate. A grand slam or bases-clearing double it was not—just a sac fly.
The 0 for 2 game dropped Devers to a .214 average and .691 OPS with the Giants. The numbers aren't what Posey had in mind, but the moment was. And I'd bet he'd make the trade 100 times over to have Devers in it again. So would I.
Up next: An All-Star matchup to send the Giants and Dodgers into the All-Star Break. Robbie Ray (9-3, 2.63 ERA) faces Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-7, 2.77 ERA) at 1:05 pm to decide the series.
🎧 Podcast: Why don’t managers react in big moments? Kerry and I dig into that, then discuss why we don’t believe what Bryce Harper said about not choosing the Giants. Listen below: