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DENVER – Well, no one can say the Giants aren’t unified. Or don’t feel a high level of camaraderie. Despite a streaky season that has included a lot of losing at a rapid and unpleasant pace, they’ve at least stuck together and maintained solidarity.
It never was more apparent than Tuesday night at Coors Field, where Rafael Devers’ teammates had his back in a benches-clearing rhubarb that occurred just eight pitches into the game.
The consequences were rough, however. Matt Chapman and Willy Adames were ejected along with Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, whom the Giants blamed for starting it all, and could face suspensions from the league.
“That’s what a team does, “ Devers said through Spanish-language interpreter Erwin Higueros, referring to the support he received from Chapman, Adames, and others. “We’re a very united team. In situations like that, that’s what we should do. Stick up for each other.”
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Without his shortstop and third baseman, manager Bob Melvin was forced to rearrange both his lineup and defense, and the shorthanded Giants still pulled it out 7-4, their ninth win in 10 games following a 2-11 funk. They own a winning record for the first time since Aug. 9.
Through it all, the players banded together.
“That’s never varied,” Melvin said. “It’s always been a team that’s been very tight, even during the tough times. That’s what gets you through tough times and back on the other side of it. It shows the fight we have when these guys are sticking up for their teammates, their new teammates.
“And guys moved around and played different positions, too. We obviously don’t want to lose our guys, but some good things happened because of it.”
The donnybrook started after Devers, the game’s second batter, crushed Freeland’s 0-2 breaking ball into the right-field seats for his 30th homer, 15th as a Giant. Devers stood in the batter’s box for several seconds and admired the flight of the ball before walking slowly toward first base and flipping his bat over his shoulder.
Freeland appreciated none of it and barked some harsh words at Devers even though the league supports players who put their personalities and emotions on display and celebrate their personal feats.
“Just the usual stuff,” Devers said. “Yelling at me and telling me to start running the bases. ... I don’t know why he got like that. I didn’t do anything wrong. I did the same thing I do whenever I hit a home run."
Freeland’s take: “I found it extremely disrespectful to show me up like that in the first inning after hitting a home run, standing there watching it, taking your sweet time getting down to first base.”
Devers turned around and delivered some choice words of his own. In the Giants’ clubhouse, players noted Freeland's actions were in line with his reputation.
“Surprised it hasn’t happened before with that guy,” Giants starter Logan Webb said of Freeland. “He runs his mouth a lot of the time. Rafi got him good.”
“He’s like that,” added Heliot Ramos.
Adames and Chapman, the next two hitters behind Devers, rushed to the scene to back up their teammate. Chapman pushed Freeland, and Devers began taking some swipes. As players were being restrained, Adames tried to go after Freeland again. He was halted by bench coach Ryan Christenson.
As the four umpires huddled, Devers walked to first base and stood on the bag and eventually was told by an ump to continue running the bases. Devers completed the final 270 feet, and it turned out to be a nifty 8-minute home run trot.
“That’s a first,” Melvin said.
After the game, in an interview with a pool reporter, crew chief Dan Bellino said Freeland was ejected because “he was an instigator. Same with Chapman. He was an instigator. And Adames, while initially he was not one of the instigators, he prolonged the bench-clearing situation by instigating a second melee.”
Bellino called Chapman’s actions “overly aggressive.”
The Giants are hoping neither of their left-side infielders will be suspended.
“We didn’t do anything drastic that merits any suspensions,” Devers said. “It was nothing out of the ordinary.”
A frustrated Freeland, whose team lost its 100th game, offered a different opinion and said Devers should have been ejected, too, claiming the Giant was among those who pushed him.
Adames, who turned 30 Tuesday, never got a birthday at-bat. Casey Schmitt, who wasn’t supposed to play because of his tender right elbow — he was pelted by a pitch in Monday’s opener — hit for Adames, and Dominic Smith hit for Chapman.
Defensively, Christian Koss moved from second to short, Schmitt played second, and Dom Smith played first.
Most stunning of all, Melvin put Devers at third base, the position he used to play in Boston before his well-chronicled falling out with the Red Sox. It was Devers’ first appearance at third this season (he hadn’t even taken grounders at the position), and he looked right at home, making several nice plays — perhaps it helped that he borrowed Chapman’s glove.
“I didn’t hesitate. (Melvin) asked me to play third base, and I’m here to help the team,” Devers said.
When the dust settled, several house cleaning items needed addressing:
- Ramos, who opened the game with a bloop single, was on first when Devers hit his fateful homer. As players rushed onto the field to join the ruckus, Ramos smartly ran the bases, and once he reached the plate, he immediately darted to the mob of players. “I wanted to score as soon as possible,” Ramos said, “and go out there and help the guys.”
- The Giants hit four homers: Devers, Schmitt, Wilmer Flores, and Patrick Bailey. It was the 16th straight game in which the Giants homered, matching a San Francisco record from 1963, and it was an especially impressive feat for Schmitt, who swung with one good arm after being hit by a pitch on Monday. He took grounders before the game but made no throws until realizing he’d be needed. “I went down there (in the cage) and was throwing some balls into a net,” Schmitt said. “It didn’t feel great, but it was good enough. At second, it’s not too long of a throw.”
- Before he threw his first pitch, Webb was part of the cluster of players on the field. At one point, he said, coaches told him to return to the dugout and prepare to pitch the bottom of the first. He gave up two runs in five innings. “A lot of adrenaline. My heart was racing,” Webb said. “Some of the guys asked if I needed some extra pitches, and I said I think I’m good. I’ve got enough adrenaline going right now.”
- With Adames out of the game, the Giants’ No. 1 cheerleader became passionate rookie Drew Gilbert, who was the first to greet teammates atop the dugout stairs after their home runs, offering congratulations and pulling off their helmets. “You can’t do anything if you’re not together,” Gilbert said.