Heliot Ramos has shown for the past two months that few MLB hitters can match his opposite-field power. In theory, Truist Park, which has a jetstream to right, is the perfect park for the Giants center fielder.
As expected, Ramos went deep in Atlanta on the first night of an important road trip. But he didn't get to fully celebrate it.
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Ramos' 11th homer of the season landed in the second row of seats in right field, but off the bat, he thought it was foul. He had such a funny and unusual reaction that he checked in with Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy after circling the bases just to make sure the other team knew he hadn't been overly celebrating.
"I was looking for a sinker out and away and I got it and I hit it, but I thought I hit it foul. [My] helmet was covering where the ball was at so I couldn't see anything," Ramos said on NBC Sports Bay Area's "Giants Postgame Live". "I thought it was foul. I told Murphy at home plate that I hope it didn't offend him, honestly. I told him I thought it was foul and he told me, 'Yeah, I know.'
"It was so weird. That has never happened to me, ever."
San Francisco Giants
The odd homer was the third of the night for the Giants, who won 5-3 to kick off their road trip. After battering Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers over the weekend, they kept the momentum going, and not just with the power.
Jorge Soler hit his 10th homer and LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a 442-foot blast that was the longest of his career, if you don't count the game in Mexico City last year that felt like it was played on the moon. The Giants also worked so many three-ball counts -- including six full counts -- against Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez that the man with a 1.70 ERA was knocked out of the game in the fifth. The 4 1/3-inning outing was the shortest of Lopez's season.
The Giants have had other positive stretches at the plate this season, but the last few days are by far the best they have looked one-through-nine. Mike Yastrzemski returned to the lineup Tuesday and, while they are without Wilmer Flores and Thairo Estrada, David Villar and Brett Wisely have been more than adequate fill-ins.
The Giants had 29 hits and 10 walks in two games over the weekend against the Dodgers, and on Tuesday they reached base 15 more times against one of the league's best pitching staffs. It was such an all-encompassing performance that the best at-bats might actually have come from a guy who went 0-for-5. Matt Chapman had lineouts at 111 and 108 mph, with center fielder Jarred Kelenic robbing him of a pair of doubles and two RBI.
A month ago -- or even on the last road trip -- that might have been the story of the night for the Giants. But right now, they finally seem to have found momentum, with six wins in their last eight games. The offense has found its way, showing the patience that's been there all along but also the power that this front office expected after rebuilding the lineup in the offseason.
Asked which of the homers was his favorite, manager Bob Melvin smiled at reporters in Atlanta.
"Any homer," he said, "I'm happy with."
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