– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
ARLINGTON, TEXAS — Current Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy knew the talent that Heliot Ramos possessed to become a potential All-Star when the latter was a teen and both were in the same organization. The latter is now a regular starter in the Major Leagues, and he put on another hitting display at the former’s expense.
Ramos drove in all three runs for the Giants, including smacking a two-run home run in the third inning, to lead San Francisco to a 3-1 win over the Texas Rangers inside Globe Life Field on Saturday afternoon. Former Ranger Spencer Howard allowed a run in 4 2/3 innings before the Giants bullpen combined to toss 4 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit during that span.
Before his home run, Ramos opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning off Rangers starter Andrew Heaney to get the Giants off to a 1-0 lead. In his second turn at-bat, Ramos didn’t waste any time in turning around a first-pitch curveball and depositing it two rows deep into the left field bleachers for a 3-1 San Francisco lead.
Now entrenched as the everyday center fielder and off-season acquisition Jung Hoo Lee suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last month, Ramos now has four home runs in his last six games and has reached base safely in 26 of the 28 games he’s played this season.
On this current road trip, Ramos is batting .529 (9-for-17) with seven runs driven in.
“I’m just trusting my plan,” Ramos said. “The confidence happens whenever you make things happen. I’m just trying to trust it every day and trust that the plan that I’m taking to the plate is going to work.”
The initial plan for Ramos, the Giants’ 2017 first-round pick, was to play while Bochy was the manager in San Francisco. Of course, Bochy’s retirement after the 2019 season changed that script, but the future Hall-of-Fame manager immediately knew that Ramos has the gifts to someday be a mainstay for the Giants.
“I saw this kid come up through the Minors with the time I spent out there when I retired. He’s a talented kid,” Bochy said. “The power, the arm. He runs well. He’s a gifted athlete.”
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
