It may have happened 38 days later, but the version of Rafael Devers the San Francisco Giants had in mind when they traded for him has finally arrived. The 28-year-old slugger had his best game of the season for his new team on Wednesday, going 3-for-5 with two home runs: one that was a no-doubter, and another that was hard to believe.

When San Francisco Giants pitcher Justin Verlander was coming up, the pitching win was still an object of romance. Verlander won 17 games in 2006, and those wins bought him an American League Rookie of the Year award. He lost 17 in 2008 to lead MLB in a lost season, and then won 24 in 2011—one of the great individual campaigns of this century.

“The Yankees have had a known interest in Kiner-Falefa,” Hiles wrote. “The Post-Gazette recently learned that the Giants have also inquired about the Pirates’ shortstop, although the extent of their interest is unknown. Kiner-Falefa has arguably been the Pirates most consistent hitter this year, batting .274 with a .658 OPS over 87 games.”

Justin Verlander’s first win this season will get most of the attention following the Giants’ 9-3 win over the Braves, and rightfully so. It didn’t feel right that one of the winningest pitchers in baseball history appeared incapable of getting one more win.

The Giants kicked off the 2025 MLB Draft -- their first under new president of baseball operations Buster Posey -- by selecting Tennessee infielder Gavin Kilen with the 13th overall pick on Sunday.

The Giants used their first two selections of the 2025 MLB draft on a pair of contact-oriented, middle-of-the-diamond position players by selecting Tennessee shortstop Gavin Kilen in the first round and Rutgers outfielder Trevor Cohen in the third round. On the draft’s second day, San Francisco will have 16 picks from rounds 4-20.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants have selected shortstop Gavin Kilen out of Tennessee with the 13th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Kilen spent the first two years of his collegiate career with Louisville before transferring to Tennessee, where he had a slash line of .357/.441/.671 with 15 homers and 46 RBIs as a junior.

The juice is coming back to the Giants-Dodgers rivalry after San Francisco's 8-7 win proved it can compete with L.A. after all.