Why Rafael Devers’ First Giants Showdown With Red Sox Is Must-See TV

On Sunday, the Boston Red Sox pulled off a stunning trade with the San Francisco Giants that sent Rafael Devers across the coast. On Friday, the Red Sox will kick off a series against the Giants, where they will see their old friend Devers for the first time since this deal.

There was a lot of tension building between the Red Sox front office and Devers throughout the season. Devers wasn’t happy to be moved from third base to designated hitter, and he was even more upset when the team asked him to play first base after Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury.

That culminated in a stunning move that saw Devers end up in San Francisco from seemingly out of nowhere. In return, Boston got Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs III and Jose Bello, with the Giants also taking on the remainder of Devers’ 10-year, $313.5 million contract.

While Devers didn’t request a trade, he seems quite happy to be in San Francisco now. And while the Red Sox front office wasn’t exactly shopping the face of their franchise around, they are pretty content to no longer have to deal with his drama.

Well, they aren’t completely out of the woods, because now they will face off against Devers and the Giants in what has quickly turned into a highly anticipated series. And with all the circumstances surrounding the situation, it’s clear this will be must-watch TV.

Rarely do you see a regular season series take place in MLB with so much on the line. Both teams will be eager to immediately prove themselves right for making this trade, and all the players involved will have something at stake too.

The stakes are pretty high for the Red Sox. They won their first series without Devers against the Seattle Mariners, but winning a series against him and his new team would make a clear statement, as it would prove they can still be competitive this season without their best hitter wearing their uniform anymore.

Similarly, the Giants will want to prove that their big investment in Devers was worthwhile. The expectation is that they should be winning games now. If they lose to the Red Sox, the team they weakened by nabbing Devers, how will they be able to win against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the National League West?

Beyond then, every time Devers steps up to the plate, the anticipation will be through the roof. Will he immediately spurn Boston and hit a home run against them? Or will he struggle with the heightened expectations?

There are so many unique storylines that are worth tuning into watch, which isn’t always the case for regular season series. First pitch is scheduled for 10:15 p.m. ET, and while that’s pretty late for East Coast viewers, it’s clear it will be worth staying up late to tune in for this game.

NESN’s live coverage Friday night begins at 9 p.m. ET.