Rafael Devers stepped into the visitors’ dugout at Fenway Park on Friday afternoon, making his first return there since being traded to the Giants last season. He said he was "Very happy to be back" and admitted he did not know what the crowd would do when he took the field Friday night.
That uncertainty is part of why Giants vs Red Sox was drawing attention in Boston on Friday. Devers spent eight-plus years there, was named an All-Star three times, and became a familiar face before the trade changed everything. He said, "I know the fans were very good to me, so I’m very happy to be back," but he also said, "I don’t know what to expect," adding that this was his first experience returning in this way.
His time in Boston ended with friction over his role and the team’s decision to sign Alex Bregman. Devers initially resisted a move to full-time designated hitter and refused to play first base, even though he now plays both first base and designated hitter with the Giants. The shift became one of the defining issues of his final months with Boston and helped turn a routine roster debate into a public break.
Devers said he now feels "very comfortable" at first base and thanked Giants infield coach Ron Washington for working with him. He also said he had "a lot of support here," and he made clear that he was not looking back on the old dispute. "Like I said before, I move on, I turn the page," he said. "I knew that this day was going to come, but I’m mature now and just move on and just enjoy the moment."
What fans actually do when he appears on the field will tell the story better than any pregame guess. Devers said he could not predict whether they would cheer or do something else, and that answer will come only when the game begins.
