Rafael Devers hasn't quite set the world on fire yet since being traded to the San Francisco Giants in an out of nowhere trade that caused a lot of uproar within the baseball world. While his slash line of .250/.357/463 entering play on Monday is solid enough, Devers hasn't quite hit to his full potential yet in Giants colors. But he certainly showed how powerful he can be with the bat on his hands after hitting a monster home run in San Francisco's 8-2 win over the MLB-worst Colorado Rockies on Monday.
In the very first inning of play, Devers went yard, launching an inside fastball from Rockies starter Chase Dollander to deep right field to put the Giants on the board, 1-0. And that ball Devers hit wasted no time leaving the yard. With an exit velocity of 114.5 miles per hour, that was the Giants' hardest-hit home run under the Statcast era, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
Rafael Devers!
114.5 mph
That’s the Giants’ hardest-hit home run under Statcast (2015) https://t.co/nbJwmv7txL
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 1, 2025
Devers turned on that pitch from Dollander and launched it into oblivion, sending the Rockies deeper into their misery. For the Giants, this was the best tone-setter that they could have hoped for, as they handily took care of business against the worst team in the league and they hit the .500 mark as a result.
This home run was Devers' 14th of the season, and he ended the night with a stat line of two hits, one walk, one RBI, and two runs in five plate appearances. This is the version of Devers that the Giants sorely need to anchor their lineup, and their improved level of play should give them a lot of hope not just for the future, but for the rest of the season — especially when they've clawed their way back to realistic playoff contention.
Giants are ending the 2025 season with a flurry
It wasn't that long ago when it looked like the Giants' playoff hopes were completely cooked. But they have been playing markedly better baseball as of late. They've gone 8-2 over their past 10, flourishing in a stretch where they faced good teams such as the Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago Cubs.
They are now just five games back of the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League, just trailing the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds. The Giants will have even more chances to make up ground, as their next three series (including their current one against the Rockies) will be coming against teams with a losing record.
