San Francisco Giants' Rafael Devers (29) hit his first home run since his trade against his former team, the Boston Red Sox.

On the 22nd (Korea time), Devers started as the designated hitter batting second in the game against Boston at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, recording 1 hit in 4 at-bats, 1 home run, 2 runs batted in, and 1 run scored.

With San Francisco leading 1-0 in the bottom of the 3rd inning with 2 outs and a runner on first base, Devers came to bat for the second time and blasted a two-run home run over the left field wall off Boston's right-handed starting pitcher Brian Baio on the second pitch, which was clocked at 96.1 mph (154.7 km/h). The exit velocity was recorded at 105.5 mph (169.8 km/h), with a distance of 370 feet (113 m). This was Devers’ first home run since his trade. San Francisco won 3-2, thanks to Devers' home run.

Devers, who has a career batting average of .278 with 1,140 hits, 216 home runs, 699 runs batted in, 664 runs scored, 33 stolen bases, and an OPS of .859 in 1,058 Major League games, debuted with Boston in 2017 and had played only for Boston until this year. He signed an extension contract worth $331 million (approximately 4.546 trillion won) on January 11, 2023.

However, issues arose last winter when Boston acquired third baseman Alex Bregman for 3 years at $120 million (approximately 164.9 billion won). Devers, who was the starting third baseman, refused to move to the designated hitter position. Eventually, it seemed the controversy would settle when Devers moved to designated hitter, but another problem arose when starting first baseman Triston Casas got injured. Boston asked Devers to move to first base this time, but he refused again.

As the situation became increasingly serious, Boston's owner John Henry flew to Kansas City, where Boston was playing an away game, to meet and discuss with Devers; however, the issue remained unresolved. Ultimately, Boston pushed for a trade involving Devers, sending him to San Francisco in exchange for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tybalt III, and José Baio.

Major League Baseball's official media outlet, MLB.com, reported, "Rafael Devers' revenge tour has begun. Devers was silent in the last game against Boston, going 0-for-5, but in this game, he cleared the left-center fence in the 3rd inning," relaying the news of Devers' home run.

Devers said, "I’m really happy. The most important thing is that I can continue to contribute to the win. I’m giving 100% and I will keep working hard so that the team can win."

San Francisco manager Bob Melvin noted, "He doesn’t seem affected at all since he joined our team. There has been a lot going on in his life. He went to Boston and then got traded, and today he faced Boston again. A lot has happened, but he seems comfortable and happy. He has always been the same person," emphasizing that Devers has handled the trade well and is fulfilling his role.

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