Rafaela hits a tiebreaking homer and Red Sox keep Devers hitless in a 7-5 win over the Giants

By: Josh Dubow, The Associated Press Posted: 12:16 AM CDT Saturday, Jun. 21, 2025

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Ceddanne Rafaela had a tiebreaking homer among his three hits, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 7-5 victory Friday night over their former star slugger Rafael Devers and the San Francisco Giants.

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Rafaela connected with a one-out drive over the wall in center against Sean Hjelle (1-1) to give Boston a 6-5 lead in the sixth inning. Rafaela also doubled and scored in the third and hit an RBI single in the fourth to help Boston win for the eighth time in nine games.

Devers faced his former team five days after the shocking trade that sent him to San Francisco, going 0 for 5. He got a standing ovation before grounding out in his first at-bat in the first inning and hit a drive to the wall in left-center that Rafaela caught against the wall.

Boston Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela celebrates after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Brennan Bernardino (3-2) pitched a scoreless inning for the win and Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 15 chances.

Wilyer Abreu hit an RBI single in the seventh for an insurance run in his first game off the injured list.

The Giants scored four runs in the first four innings on a pair of run-scoring double plays hit into by Christian Koss, an error by second baseman David Hamilton and an RBI single by Mike Yastrzemski on a comebacker off Hunter Dobbins.

But the Red Sox took a 5-4 lead thanks to a two-run homer by Hamilton, RBI singles by Rafaela and Roman Anthony and an error by Koss at second base.

Wilmer Flores tied the game at 5 with an RBI single in the fifth.

Key moment

The Giants loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, but Garrett Whitlock struck out Yastrzemski to preserve the 7-5 lead.

Key stat