NEW YORK – There was an offensive eruption for the Giants on Saturday at Citi Field. That’s because Rafael Devers and Christian Koss powered San Francisco to a 9-5 victory over the Mets.
Devers entered the game as San Francisco’s hottest hitter, going 19-for-46 (.413) with seven home runs and 18 RBIs in his previous 12 games. In Saturday’s contest, Devers showed once again who was boss. In the first inning against left-hander Zac Thornton, Devers gave the Giants a 1-0 lead by hitting a 2-0 pitch into the right-field seats.
New York then took a 2-1 lead against Giants right-hander Anthony Molina in the bottom of the second, when A.J. Ewing hit a two-run homer over the right center-field fence. But it was all San Francisco after that.
In the third, Koss, who had just one home run in 138 at-bats entering the game, gave San Francisco the lead with a two-run dinger off Thornton.
San Francisco had its way with Thornton two innings later. Koss played Superman once again and hit a solo homer over the left-field wall to make it 4-2.
Two batters later, Devers showed why he is the man in San Francisco. He slugged another homer, this one a two-run shot into the left-field seats for his 35th homer of the season.
By hitting that long ball, Devers put himself in the Giants’ record book. In a six-game span, Devers has six homers and seven walks. Since at least 1900, Devers joins Barry Bonds (2004) and Willie Mays (1958) as the only Giants with six or more homers and seven or more walks in that same span in a season.
Oslevis Basabe joined the home run parade in the eighth. This time it was against left-hander Jefry Yan, who surrendered a two-run homer over the left-field fence. Grant McGray hit the sixth long ball of the day in the ninth off Justin Hagenman.
Molina took advantage of the run support by winning his third game as a member of the Giants. He pitched five innings, allowed two runs – none earned – and struck out six batters.