Rafael Devers becomes Giant among legends with clutch double

San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rafael Devers becomes Giant among legends with clutch double

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Sep 7, 2026 11:32 PM ET

While the 2026 season might be one San Francisco Giants fans hope to forget, it's been memorable for Rafael Devers individually.

And to that end, the Giants' new star joined some legendary names for the franchise on Monday night.

In the bottom of the first inning of San Francisco's series opener with the St. Louis Cardinals, Devers smoked a 2-2 pitch to deep right center field. The ball didn't leave Oracle Park, smacking off the wall, but resulted in an RBI double.

Rafael Devers joined franchise legends after his 35th double

The double was his 35th of the season, matching his home run at the time as well.

Devers became the seventh different Giants player to hit at least 35 home runs and record 35 plus doubles in a season.

Rafi Devers. Automatic. pic.twitter.com/3srNIjZS5W
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 8, 2026

In his first full season with the Giants - he came over midway through the 2025 season - Devers now has his name next to franchise icons like Jeff Kent, Barry Bonds (twice), Willie McCovey, Willie Mays and Mel Ott. Rich Aurillia also posted a similar season in 2001, a year before freshly inducted Hall of Famer Kent did the same in 2002.

Rafael Devers is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career

Devers has put together one of the best seasons of his entire career despite the Giants' struggles as a team. His 35 home runs match his total from last season and are four away from setting a new career-high. He also now has 92 RBI and 86 runs scored in 145 games played. Devers entered Monday's game with a slash line that read .258/.338/.517, which would be the highest slug of his career if it holds.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

More must-reads: