Rafael Devers hit a two-run homer in the first inning that led to the benches emptying and three ejections in the San Francisco Giants’ 7-4 win over the Colorado Rockies in Denver on Tuesday night.
Colorado starting pitcher Kyle Freeland and San Francisco’s Matt Chapman and Willy Adames were ejected after the benches cleared and punches were thrown.
Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey homered and had two hits each, and Wilmer Flores also went deep for San Francisco (70-69), which has homered in 16 straight games to tie a team record since the franchise relocated to the Bay Area.
Dominic Smith and Jung Ho Lee had two hits each, Logan Webb (13-9) allowed two runs and seven hits over five innings and Ryan Walker notched his 13th save.
Hunter Goodman had a home run among his three hits and drove in three runs, and Ezequiel Tovar had two hits for the Rockies (39-100), who have three straight 100-loss seasons.
The fireworks began on Freeland’s eighth pitch of the game when Devers launched his 30th home run of the season into the seats in right and paused in the batter’s box before slowly trotting to first.
Freeland (3-14) shouted at Devers, who started backpedaling to first while exchanging words with the Rockies lefty as both teams charged toward the mound. Chapman shoved Freeland before home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi separated them. Adames then appeared to cock his right arm to throw a punch at Freeland.
Order was restored, and the ejections were announced.
Antonio Senzatela took over on the mound, while Schmitt and Smith pinch-hit for Adames and Chapman, respectively.
Schmitt hit a two-out solo homer, his 10th, off of Senzatela in the fifth, and Flores made it 5-1 with a two-run homer later in the inning.
Goodman had RBI singles in the third and fifth innings before crushing reliever Jose Butto’s slider 440 feet into the stands in left field in the seventh.
It was his team-leading 27th home run of the season and cut the deficit to 5-4, but Bailey hit a two-run shot into Colorado’s bullpen in the eighth inning, his third on the season.
–Field Level Media
