SAN FRANCISCO – Roman Anthony’s parents have an affinity for Napa Valley wine, and on their annual visits from Florida, their youngest son tagged along to a few games at Oracle Park.
Friday night saw them all return, only this time Anthony was the Boston Red Sox’s designated hitter, a role Rafael Devers flourished in before his trade Sunday to the Giants.
“I’ve been here quite a few times. I got to watch Tim Lincecum throw as a kid,” Anthony said. “It was always fun. It’s just a great ballpark.”
Anthony is Boston’s next great prospect, and last week’s big-league debut helped temper Red Sox Nation’s outrage over Devers’ departure.
“I got to know him a little bit last year and spent time with him in camp this year. He was always great to me,” Anthony said. “He was always great to watch. Obviously when you have a hitter who’s generational like him, it’s great and you learn from watching him.”
What exactly could Anthony — and, now, young Giants players — learn from watching a professional hitter like Devers?
“You watch their routines. You watch how on-point they are with everything they do,” Anthony said. “How good his cage work is and everything he does, it’s no mistake why he is as good as he is.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora coined this series’ reunion with Devers as “awkward,” considering his contributions the past 8-plus seasons.
“If you look at the list of homers in the franchise (10th, with 215), and base hits (24th, with 1,136), the (2018) World Series ring, there’s a lot of stuff Rafi did for us that we’re going to miss,” Cora said. “We’re very proud of him. To see him here it’s going to be different.
“He’s going to keep doing his thing over here.”
Devers is 3-for-16 since joining the Giants, including an 0-for-5 outing in Friday night’s 7-5 series-opening loss to Boston.
Rather than good riddance, several Red Sox players joined Cora in wishing Devers well in San Francisco, which inherited his $313.5 million contract through 2034.
“It was a very difficult moment for me and for us, but I feel he’s going to be successful anywhere he goes,” outfielder Wilyer Abreu said. “My best wishes to him. Hopefully he’ll stay healthy and he’ll do a great job.”
Shortstop Trevor Story has no doubt Devers can add to Oracle Park’s modest total of 106 “Splash Hits” over the right-field arcade.
“He can definitely do it – one of the most prolific hitters in our game and one of the most powerful guys, for sure,” Story said.
What Story would not weigh in on is the controversy that factored into Devers’ exit: Whether he’ll play first base when not the DH.
Devers rebuffed repeated questions about his Boston tenure, but did note: “I would say I have put up good numbers over at Boston and I do feel I’ve earned some respect. If they would have asked me at the beginning of spring training, yes I would have played (first base).”
Cora said he’s not surprised that Devers, the Red Sox’s third baseman the past eight seasons, is fielding grounders at first base before games this week for Giants’ skipper Bob Melvin, who’s removed Devers from consideration as a third baseman.
Cora insisted the Red Sox’s motive for the trade was nothing personal.
“People have their opinions about the whole thing – communication, first base, DH, third base, the manager, the GM, the owner. Whatever. It’s a baseball trade,” Cora said. “From my end, I turn the page. I’ve got 26 guys in that locker room that are ready to go. We’re in a good spot, playoff-wise, right? It’s still early in the season but the guys are doing an outstanding job in the moment. We have a big series here and our goal is to win.”
Anthony went 1-for-4 Friday night, ripping an RBI single 112 mph up the middle and then scoring on an error to put Boston ahead 5-4 in the fifth.
Last week, he doubled in his second game for his first big-league hit, while parents Tony and Lori sat in the front row with other family and friends. His first home run came Monday in his road debut at Seattle.
Anthony entered Friday’s game with only two hits in 27 at-bats since his June 9 debut, a game in which he collected his first RBI on a groundout that drove in, of all people, Devers.
“That first week at home was a whirlwind, with a lot of people there,” Anthony recalled. “It was great but it was kind of nice to be past the first week, strap it in, get to Seattle, handle everything on my own, and getting my first (home run) out of the way was cool.”
Anthony was only 3 when Barry Bonds was finishing his career in 2007 – and hitting his 35th Splash Hit.
“That’s something that would be cool, to run into one and see that out there,” Anthony said. “That’s really unique with people in the kayaks and everything out there. That’d be fun, for sure. That’d be nice.”
Both Anthony and Devers almost hit home runs Friday night, only their blasts went the opposite way to the left-field warning track for deep flyouts.
While Anthony’s roster spot isn’t officially linked to Devers’ departure, Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks were two former Giants pitchers acquired in the trade and both recently pitched on the side at Triple-A Worcester.
Cora said of that duo, starting with Harrison: “We expect big things out of him, just like they did. A special fastball. We saw it last year at one point, so we’re excited about that. … Hicks threw live BP yesterday and today he felt OK with the toe. It’s another good arm we’ll have in the bullpen. He’s going to fit right in and help us win a lot of games.”
Boston is 40-37 with visions of postseason contention.
“(Devers’ trade) was more a shock to the system for a bit. We did a good job not letting it hang around,” Story said. “There’s ball to be played and we know we have a good team. We’ve built a lot of momentum the past two weeks, and we’re looking to continue that even though we lost Rafi.”