If you were to look up “bad road season opening series wins” in a baseball encyclopedia, you wouldn’t find much. It wasn’t dominant, it wasn’t always pretty, but the Giants did just that in Cincinnati to begin a highly anticipated 2025 campaign, taking two of three from the Reds to begin the season 2-1.
Here are a few takeaways from Opening Weekend in the Queen City.
Heliot Ramos will end the Giants 30 home run drought
And it won’t be close either. Ramos burst onto the scene in 2024, earned a trip to the All Star game, and displayed many of the tools of the power hitter that he was billed to be for so many years as a promising Giants farm hand. Famously, no Giant has hit 30 home runs in a single season since Barry Bonds in 2004. Ramos has two through three games. But it’s not that early pace that makes it apparent he’ll eclipse the 30 mark, it’s the frequency with which he barrels up the baseball. Even some of his outs in Cincy were loud.
Here’s his wildly impressive home run on Opening Day.
Wilmer Flores and his clutch gene remain valuable
It can often be easy for Giants fans to get down on Wilmer Flores. Injury woes and some prolonged struggles have been too common over the last couple of seasons. But there’s no denying Wilmer’s ability to perform in the clutch. That was again evident on Opening Day, when Flores blasted a three run shot to break a ninth inning tie. The Giants would win 6-4 in the bottom half. Here’s how it sounded coming from the legend Jon Miller on KNBR.
The tie-breaking shot was great, but it never would have happened without a two-out game tying single by Patrick Bailey a batter earlier.
Starters impress without best stuff
Logan Webb got a no decision on Opening Day, and the Giants ace would probably be the first to tell you he had far from his best stuff. Justin Verlander was good in his Giants debut, also earning a no decision in the Giants’ only loss of the series. Verlander went five innings, allowing two runs and striking out five. The future Hall of Fame right hander wants to prove to the Giants and the rest of the league that he can still be an effective front line starter in 2025, and his first start was an excellent step.
Robbie Ray was masterful through the first five innings of his first start of the year on Sunday. Flawless, actually. Ray mowed through the first 15 Reds’ batters without allowing a baserunner. Things went south for Ray in the sixth, as he gave up three runs on a pair of home runs that chased him from the ballgame. All’s well that ends well. Ray earned the win and the Giants took the series in Cincy.
Platinum Chap will define Giants’ defensive identity
One of the biggest gripes among Giants fans in recent years has been the team’s sloppy defense and perceived lack of touch with the game’s fundamentals. It seems as though the 2025 G-men are putting an increased emphasis on defense and fundamentals. That starts with Matt Chapman. So far so good.