Before his first at-bat back in Milwaukee since departing last offseason in MLB free agency, Willy Adames received nearly a minute-long standing ovation from the Brewers’ home crowd.
The fan-favorite shortstop clearly still is beloved at American Family Field after spending three and a half seasons with the Brewers, even after signing with the Giants this past December.
Well, perhaps not for long, as Adames crushed the first pitch he saw 419 feet into the second deck in left field and promptly was met with boos. He then went deep a second time in the eighth inning, this one to the opposite field, helping fuel a late Giants resurgence.
“It was very emotional, I would say. They changed their mind really quick, though,” Adames told reporters with a laugh, referring to the crowd’s quick switch from celebration to antagonism. “Obviously, I know that they didn’t mean those boos.
“It felt really good to see that they have that much love for me. They know that I have the same love back. It was really special to see it and feel it, and kind of embrace everything and soak it all in.”
But the Milwaukeeans got the last laugh in the end, as the Giants’ late comeback proved fruitless after William Contreras’ walk-off homer in the ninth inning gave the red-hot Brewers a 5-4 win on Friday night.
So, in the end, it was another thrilling win for MLB’s hottest team since the All-Star break, and another heart-wrenching loss for the league’s coldest team in that same span.
“It’s just another day. It feels the same way that it’s been going on for us,” Adames explained postgame. “It felt like we played better baseball — obviously, we had some difficulties … Contreras had a really good pitch there, and he took advantage of it.
Regardless of the result, the night clearly was all about Adames’ emphatic homecoming.
“It was great … to get the reception he did and then hits first-pitch homer,” manager Bob Melvin said. “I mean, that’s pretty cool stuff. And then he hit another homer to get us a little bit closer, and then we tie the game. Willy came in here, obviously looking to put together a good game, and he did.”
After signing a franchise-record contract worth $182 million over seven years, this hasn’t quite been the season that Adames or the Giants desired. His .224 batting average and .722 OPS both are the second-lowest marks of his eight-year career.
But the 29-year-old shortstop quietly is up to 22 home runs on the season, and his effusive personality shone in the spotlight during Friday’s two-homer game — both primary reasons why the Giants signed him.
“Even my second at-bat, when they started booing me, I was just laughing, because that’s how it is,” Adames admitted. “I enjoyed it like the standing ovation. For me, it was the same. It felt good. I know it was all love.”
So while all hope feels all but lost for the Giants’ playoff hopes in 2025, San Francisco will hope that Friday’s big night could spur on their star shortstop for more production through the rest of this season and beyond
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