Giants' Rafael Devers starts benches-clearing fight with controversial home run vs. Rockies

Billy Heyen

Giants' Rafael Devers starts benches-clearing fight with controversial home run vs. Rockies image

Rafael Devers couldn't even make it all the way around the bases before the benches cleared.

Let's set the scene: San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies. Devers batting against veteran southpaw Kyle Freeland. And the red hot Devers hits an absolute bomb to deep right field.

As one does on a no-doubt home run, Devers took a few moments to admire it.

Freeland didn't like that.

So as Devers rounded the bases, Freeland decided he'd shout at the slugger and let him know how he felt.

Devers didn't like that.

And so as the pair began to go at it, the benches cleared and met near the center of the diamond.

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There was some initial question as to whether Devers' home run would count, because he left the base path to engage in the conflict. But the umpires decided not to make things more controversial by going down that path.

Freeland was ejected.

So were Giants starting shortstop Willy Adames and third baseman Matt Chapman.

Because of Chapman's ejection, Devers got to play third base. The irony, of course, is that Devers' path to being traded to the Giants only started because the Red Sox took his third base job away to give it to Alex Bregman.

Devers is on fire. He hit nine home runs in August and has now homered on each of the first two days of September.

Maybe he'd be better off staying out of trouble after his homers, but who can blame Devers for feeling good about himself right now? He's at the peak of his powers.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle