Rafael Devers has apologized to Giants manager Tony Vitello after his angry reaction at first base on Sunday, but the incident has not erased the wider frustration surrounding San Francisco’s season.
Devers said the confrontation was a misunderstanding, while Vitello brushed it off as a nonissue. The Giants, meanwhile, are still dealing with a disappointing stretch that has left them 15 games under .500.
What Devers Said Happened
Devers told reporters on Tuesday before San Francisco faced the Athletics at Oracle Park that he believed Vitello was taking him out of the game because of a lingering hamstring issue. He said the problem is no longer bothering him.
“I think it was a misunderstanding,” Devers said through an interpreter. “I thought the hamstring was the reason he was taking me out of the game.”
How the Sequence Unfolded
After drawing a leadoff walk against the Miami Marlins, Devers waved off pinch runner Jonah Cox and gestured angrily toward the dugout when the rookie came in. When umpire Nate Tomlinson made the substitution official, Devers covered his face with his helmet and yelled into it.
He later avoided a backslap from bench coach Jayce Tingler and went straight to the clubhouse after reaching the dugout.
Apology Behind the Scenes
Devers said he apologized to Vitello in the manager’s office in Miami after the game. He later repeated that the apology was the right thing to do.
Vitello said the two also sat next to each other on the flight back to San Francisco and talked it through. “We sat next to each other on the plane, had a good conversation,” Vitello said. “So, after that conversation … it’s a nonissue.”
The Bigger Picture for San Francisco
The loss completed a three-game sweep for Miami and dropped the Giants to 15 games under .500, the second-worst record in the National League. Buster Posey said Tuesday that the club is aware mistakes happen, adding that everyone is frustrated by how the season has gone.
Devers, who was traded to San Francisco in a blockbuster deal from the Red Sox roughly one year ago, has struggled in his time with the Giants. He entered Tuesday batting .238/.302/.735 with 97 strikeouts in 327 plate appearances.
Vitello Defends His Player
Vitello backed Devers strongly and said he did not take the reaction personally. Speaking after the game and again Tuesday, he said he saw the moment as part of a Father’s Day conversation and emphasized how he feels about Devers as a person.
“I’m going to go into battle with him anytime,” Vitello said. “If you rewind and listen to my comments [postgame], it was a Father’s Day conversation. As a person, the way he treats my family and especially my dad, I’ll go to battle with him. If he came over to my condo and said, ‘I need your help; you can’t ask about it,’ all I would say is, ‘Whose car we taking?'”
Devers said he did not mean to disrespect his manager and said the moment happened in the heat of the moment. He also said media coverage often inflates situations like this, which is one reason he rarely speaks to reporters.
Posey has not ruled out moving some of the team’s highest-paid players at the deadline, and Devers remains part of a season full of questions as San Francisco tries to steady itself.