SAN FRANCISCO – It has been quite a memorable week for Heliot Ramos.
Last Thursday when the Giants played a historic game at Rickwood Field in honor of Willie Mays, Ramos blasted a massive three-run home run that had folks reminiscing about the Say Hey Kid.
On Monday, the celebration for Mays and Ramos continued.
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With everyone on the Giants wearing No. 24 to commemorate the greatest player in baseball history, Ramos had one of his best games of the season – three hits followed by an intentional walk in the ninth inning that set the stage for Wilmer Flores’ walk-off walk that gave the Giants a 5-4 comeback win over the Chicago Cubs.
As if that wasn’t enough, Ramos gave the Oracle Park crowd quite a thrill when he made an over-the-shoulder catch that was eerily reminiscent of the historical catch made by Mays in the 1954 World Series.
The catch had many people invoking Mays’ name, but Ramos sheepishly declined to include himself in the same conversation.
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“Every time I watch the highlights and everything, I dream of making a catch like that,” Ramos said. “I don’t think it was even close to what he did.”
Still, it was a fitting way to honor Mays.
More importantly, Ramos’ performance all around was key in the Giants ending their five-game losing streak.
“He’s been really inspired by Willie,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “And getting to play center field and do what he’s doing and get to wear No. 24 tonight, I think it was kind of apropos he made a play like that.”
Ramos has made all kinds of plays, both with his bat and glove. He went into Monday’s game leading the NL in RBI (35) and was tied for fifth in home runs (10) since getting called up from the minors on May 8.
He added to that resume Monday with his 18th multi-hit game since joining the big league team and has a hard-hit rate that is among the best in baseball.
Ramos, however, was in a minor funk (1-for-22) over the last week – the one hit being his home run at Rickwood.
On Monday, he flipped the script and was back doing what Giants fans are growing accustomed to seeing. He ended the day with a .301 batting average, the only San Francisco regular hitting over .300 so far.
“After you go through a rough patch, all you’re trying to do is battle at the plate, trying to get on base, trying to get good at-bats,” Ramos said. “To me, the confidence is the most important part, just trying to stay confident and just trying to stay in my game.”
Not lost on Ramos was what it all meant Monday, from the pre-game ceremony to his spectacular catch and to his three hits.
“It’s an honor, a privilege,” Ramos said. “We all know who he is. I really loved that we did that for him today. It’s a super special day for sure.”
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