Heliot Ramos did it.
Even in lost seasons, there are always things to look for. Exciting little moments that reward you for choosing to spend your afternoon with the San Francisco Giants.
On Sunday, in a 4-3 extra-innings loss to the San Diego Padres that cemented a mostly-lifeless sweep, one such moment occurred in the ninth inning.
Heliot Ramos hit a home run into McCovey Cove.
The home run — which tied the game — was Splash Hit No. 105 in this, the 25th year of Oracle Park. And of those 105, it was the first one that was hit by a right-handed hitter.
But Splash Hits are only hits by Giants players. What about the other teams? None of them had ever done it, either.
And, as Kruk and Kuip have been quick to remind us lately, no one had even done it in batting practice (which, while being an absurd stat, also makes sense — per the great Sarah Langs, Ramos’ home run, which came off a 100.2-mph fastball from Robert Suarez, was the fastest pitch that a Giant has hit for a home run since tracking began 16 years ago … a Splash Hit for a righty requires a magical combination from both the pitcher and the hitter).
Just admire it, please.
It was going to take a special blend for the first right-handed Splash Hit. Heliot Ramos went the other way with a 100 mph fastball and hit it 394 feet pic.twitter.com/Lylr1Hcpuj
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) September 15, 2024
In addition to requiring the perfect speed of both the pitch and the swing, a little luck (or bad luck, as the case may be) was in play for Giants fans to have to wait this long to see such a display. You likely remember Buster Posey’s home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2021 postseason, which was bound for the water but ricocheted off the top of one of the pillars that house the canons. Tough luck, Buster. There went your shot at being a Giants legend.
Say, let’s watch some more video.
“I am the man.”
Ramos watching a replay of his historic Splash Hit … narrated by Kruk pic.twitter.com/62XRaDjf62
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 15, 2024
This was a big deal to Ramos, who has had a breakout, All-Star campaign, despite being optioned early in Spring Training. He had spoken recently about how he wanted to be the player to finally do it, and with the right-handed power possessed by not only himself, but his teammates Jerar Encarnación and Marco Luciano, it did have a feeling of inevitability.
But then again, a lot of right-handed hitters have taken at-bats at Oracle Park and failed to put a ball in the water. Giancarlo Stanton. Albert Pujols. Alex Rodriguez. Pete Alonso. Miguel Cabrera. Aaron Judge. And so on and so forth.
So it’s pretty darn special.
Heliot admits he always wanted to be the first right-handed batter to collect a Splash Hit pic.twitter.com/7CvIs4xsEe
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 16, 2024
What’s less special is that Ramos seems unlikely to get to place the ball on his mantle. After a dispute when the Atlanta Braves wanted a ball following Michael Harris II’s water-bound grand slam, it seems like the guard of the bay — famously known as McCovey Cove Dave — is no longer interested in negotiations.
McCovey Cove Dave says he wouldn’t give the historic splash hit ball back to the #SFGiants after he says recent negotiations didn’t go well. But he would share it with Cooperstown.
“It’s my most precious ball. I’ve worked over 20 years for it.”
— Steven Rissotto (@StevenRissotto) September 16, 2024
If you think he worked hard for it, you should see what Heliot Ramos did!
What time do the Giants play today?
You get a reprieve from watching a team that has scored a combined three runs in their last four games. The Giants are off as they fly across the country to take on the Baltimore Orioles in a three-game series that begins on Tuesday.
This is the last Monday off-day of the year. The Giants play next Monday, and the following Monday is the beginning of the offseason for those poor teams that didn’t get a rose.