SAN FRANCISCO -- Last week, Heliot Ramos said one of his goals was to become the first right-handed hitter to drive a ball into McCovey Cove. On Sunday afternoon, he did.
Ramos recorded the first Splash Hit by a righty in Oracle Park history by launching a game-tying home run off Robert Suarez in the bottom of the ninth inning, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a three-game sweep by the Padres, who came back to beat the Giants, 4-3, in 10 innings.
“I always knew that I had that oppo juice, but it looks impossible just by looking at the wall and the weather here,” Ramos said. “I was like, ‘I don’t know, but I might be able to do it.’ I was always positive that I was going to do it. And I wanted to do it.
“This is a big organization. It has a lot of great legends and all that. For me to be the first one to do it, it’s insane to me.”
Ramos’ historic blast served as one of the lone offensive highlights for San Francisco, which was mired in a 32-inning scoreless streak before journeyman infielder Donovan Walton finally ended the drought with a leadoff homer off Padres lefty Martín Pérez in the sixth.
Walton’s first homer of the season tied the game at 1 and gave the Giants their first run since Wednesday’s 13-2 blowout win over the Brewers, ensuring the club wouldn’t be shut out in four straight games for the first time in franchise history.
San Diego regained the lead on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s first career pinch-hit home run -- an eighth-inning solo shot off submariner Tyler Rogers -- before Ramos forced another tie with his opposite-field shot in the ninth. The All-Star outfielder amazingly went the other way on a 100.2 mph fastball from Suarez, crushing the ball 394 feet to clear the right-field arcade and reach the Cove.
It marked the 105th Splash Hit by a Giant in their waterfront ballpark’s 25-season history, all but one of which have been produced by left-handed hitters. Buster Posey nearly became the first right-handed hitter to join the list when he homered out to right field in Game 1 of the 2021 National League Division Series against the Dodgers, but his drive ended up hitting a water tower, preventing the ball from landing in the water on the fly.
That wasn’t the case for Ramos, who knew he had the right trajectory as soon as the ball flew off his bat at 103.8 mph.
“I saw the height, and I knew I had it pretty good,” Ramos said. “I knew no righty has ever done it, so it was always something that would be special if I did it.”
The ball was recovered by kayaker Dave Edlund, better known as McCovey Cove Dave, so Ramos said he wasn’t sure if the Giants would be able to get it back. Edlund recently refused to give back a ball Braves outfielder Michael Harris II hit into the water because it was the first Splash Hit grand slam he’d managed to retrieve.
“I can ask for it, but I don’t know,” Ramos said. “I’ve got to see what they’re going to do. They’re going to ask for it.”
Ramos’ rare feat was made even sweeter by the fact that it coincided with Roberto Clemente Day and the Giants’ celebration of life for Orlando Cepeda. Ramos, a fellow Puerto Rican, fittingly wore Clemente’s No. 21 as he hit his 21st home run of the year for the Giants.
“It’s a great day,” Ramos said. “We lost, obviously, but it’s a special day because I did that. It’s a good accomplishment for me.”