SF Giants manager Tony Vitello subtly chides Red Sox fans for booing Rafael Devers

SF Giants slugger Rafael Devers made his long-awaited return to Fenway Park where he played for years as a very productive member of the Boston Red Sox. Unsurprisingly, Red Sox fans booed Devers several times during the game.

The loudest boos were saved for when he came to the plate in his first at-bat. Some fans were definitely applauding but the vast majority were booing which is pretty much what one would expect.

There was at least a kinder reaction when the Red Sox played a tribute video on the board for Devers and then cut to him smiling and laughing in the dugout. He did earn some more boos later on though when he hit a home run which had to have felt good.

Manager Tony Vitello had the perfect response to this reception after the game: “I'd assume all the people that cheered were people that lived here in 2018, and all the people that had anything else moved here after that."

He’s spot on. All those fans booing were surely very happy that Devers helped the team win a World Series back in 2018. Yet, the last memories of Devers they have are him refusing to play first base and causing some controversy before getting traded to San Francisco.

Giants have had complicated relationships with ex-players too

Giants fans aren’t unfamiliar with souring on guys after they leave San Francisco. It may seem impossible to imagine now but there were several years when Giants fans were upset with Pablo Sandoval. He left the Giants to join the Red Sox even though San Francisco offered him the same contract. He also made comments that rubbed fans the wrong way about how he only missed Hunter Pence and Bruce Bochy.

Things went so badly in Boston that he had to come back to the Giants in 2017 and while he was obviously never booed there were surely some fans who waited a bit before fully embracing his return. Sandoval just got inducted into the Wall of Fame recently so fans have a way of remembering the good times when enough time has passed.

The same can be said about Jeff Kent. He went to the Los Angeles Dodgers and became a villain and now his jersey number is going to be retired by the Giants soon. It’s not hard to make amends if you did great things wearing a team’s uniform.

Red Sox fans will surely come around on Devers eventually. It’s not a city known for having the most enlightened fanbase but for fans who went so long without a World Series one would think they’d have a bit more appreciation for a player who helped them get a ring.

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