SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Giants’ Heliot Ramos became the first right-handed batter in the 25-season history of Oracle Park to hit a Splash Homer into McCovey Cove, achieving the feat in a 4-3 loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
Ramos hit his 394-foot drive into the water beyond the right field wall in the ninth inning on a full-count 100.4 mph fastball from closer Robert Suarez. It was the 168th Splash Hit overall, the 105th by the Giants.
A 25-year-old All-Star outfielder, Ramos said he had never reached the water during batting practice.
“But I knew no righty had ever done it, so it was always something that would be special if I did it,” Ramos said.
Ramos, picked to his first All-Star team, entered hitting .158 over his prior 15 games. The drive was 103.8 mph off the bat, according to MLB Statcast.
“I know I’ve been hitting the ball hard these last couple of weeks, but it’s just been tough for me,” Ramos said. “My mindset … it’s been tough. I’ve been grinding. I’ve been fighting. In that at-bat, I didn’t care. I just went up there and swung and got a good pitch to hit. And I knew he was throwing 100, so I’ve got to get ready for it.”
Manager Bob Melvin called the homer a “nice little feather” for Ramos.
“That tied the game, so it was even bigger at the time — off a really good closer,” Melvin said.
Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp watched the homer from the clubhouse after he left the game, and initially couldn’t tell whethet the ball bounced into the water.
“That was unreal,” Roupp said.
Ramos, the youngest Giants player with a 20-home-run season since Pablo Sandoval in 2011, said he always knew he had power to the opposite field.
“It looks impossible just by looking at the wall and the weather here,” Ramos said. “So I was like, ‘I don’t know, but I might be able to do it, for sure.’ But I was always positive that I was going to do it.”
Ramos didn’t get the ball back yet but is willing to negotiate for it. He said it was extra special to accomplish the feat on Roberto Clemente Day and on a day when the Giants held a pregame celebration of life for Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, who died in June. Ramos said the Giants have “a lot of great legends,” and for him to be the first with a Splash Homer is “insane to me.”
“We lost obviously, but it’s a special day because I did that,” Ramos said. “It’s a good accomplishment for me.”