Adames becomes first SF Giants player to hit 30 homers in single season since Bonds

SAN FRANCISCO — Minutes before first pitch, the Giants made a meaningful tweak to their starting lineup.

Heliot Ramos and Willy Adames were originally slated to hit first and second, respectively, but they swapped places in the lineup right before taking the field. Adames would bat leadoff, and Ramos would hit second.

The intent was obvious. Adames entered the afternoon with 29 homers, one shy of becoming the first Giant to hit 30 homers in a single season since Barry Bonds in 2004. Batting leadoff, then, would maximize his chances to hit the milestone homer.

One at-bat — one pitch — is all he needed. Adames sent the very first pitch he saw from the Colorado Rockies’ McCade Brown over the center-field fence, officially ending a drought that had gone on for more than two decades.

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