SAN FRANCISCO -- The hallway outside the home clubhouse at Oracle Park was packed Wednesday afternoon, with players and coaches saying goodbye to wives and children as they prepared for one of the longest road trips in franchise history, a four-city swing through Cleveland, New York, Washington D.C. and finally Milwaukee, where the Giants will play just one game. The next flight for Heliot Ramos will be a short one, though.
After his first four games in the big leagues, Ramos is flying to Reno on Thursday to rejoin Triple-A Sacramento. This was the plan all along, with the Giants calling Ramos up to face two left-handed starters on the homestand. He helped them to a pair of wins, but now it's time for more development.
As he packed up his bags after a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres, the 22-year-old smiled and said he enjoyed the first taste of the big leagues. The best part was "all the advice I got from the guys," Ramos said.
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"Yesterday I was talking to (Wilmer) Flores, (Brandon) Crawford -- it was a great experience playing with all these guys," he said. "I've seen these guys since I was, like, 10, 11 (years old). It was just great. It's great."
Ramos went out on a high note. With his parents, Agapito and Norma, and his older brother, Hector, in the stands, Ramos hit cleanup against lefty Sean Manaea. He scored the tying run in the bottom of the second.
In seven plate appearances over the last four days, Ramos had two hits, a walk and two runs. He also struck out twice, and on Wednesday he hit into a double play with two runners on.
"He's had some good at-bats for us, some high-quality at-bats for us, and a couple of hits in his first start," manager Gabe Kapler said after the game.
San Francisco Giants
When Ramos was called up, Kapler said there was no reason to look past Wednesday's game. Now the Giants can, and it's possible they'll face all right-handed starters on this road trip, with Joc Pederson, Steven Duggar and Mike Yastrzemski making up the outfield. Tyler Rogers should return from the paternity list on Friday to take the open roster spot.
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In his four days in the big leagues, Ramos spent much of his time getting comfortable with Oracle Park's outfield. His preferred position is right field and on Wednesday he started there. Jake Cronenworth's long drive briefly turned Ramos around and landed for an RBI triple in the first inning, and as he prepared to return to the minors, Ramos identified that as one area where he can improve moving forward.
"I definitely need to get a little bit more comfortable playing there, but I think I can do a good job if I keep working on it and I keep having more experience and getting used to it," Ramos said. "I think I'll be good playing right field."