This past weekend’s series between the Giants and Boston Red Sox was an opportunity for Rafael Devers to face his former team and close the door on that nine-year chapter of his baseball life.
Devers, who joined the Giants last Tuesday, started the series going 0-for-5 on Friday night before going 2-for-7 with one home run and two runs scored in the following two games.
Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow on Monday joined KNBR 680's "Murph & Markus" and gave his and Duane Kuiper’s thoughts on Devers, which surprisingly included a comparison to Giants legend and home run king Barry Bonds.
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SIGN UP HERE “Kuip said, ‘You know, after that swing of the bat, I anticipate him hitting a home run every other at-bat,’ ” Krukow said, relaying his broadcast partner's comments after Devers hit his first home run as a member of the Giants. “And we haven’t felt that way since Barry Bonds.”
Any time someone mentions a player in the same light as Bonds, eyes raise and the fact that the pair of commentators feel that way is incredibly telling.
Krukow says that, as a former big leaguer, analyzing a player who’s so tough to face like Devers can be a challenge for pitchers and that’s something that makes the game of baseball so special.
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“Every game I’ve ever watched since [playing], I look at the hitter facing the pitcher, figuring out ‘How the hell am I going to get this guy out?’ ” Krukow said. “To me, that’s just the greatest puzzle in the game of baseball. It’s the essence of the game.”
Devers and his career .278 batting average have proven to be a tough out for opposing pitchers and for Krukow, there’s a word that defines Devers to a T.
“The one word that comes to mind when I watch him hit is threat,” Krukow said. “He’s not an easy guy to pitch to.”
For opposing pitchers, Devers certainly is a threat, but for a Giants lineup that was searching for runs, they’re hoping he can be the offensive boost they desperately needed.