SAN FRANCISCO — After two decades, the streak finally is over.
Heliot Ramos is starting in left field for Wednesday night’s season-opening game against the New York Yankees, becoming the first Giant since Barry Bonds in 2006-07 to start back-to-back Opening Day games in left field. When he made the start last year, Ramos became the 19th different left fielder in 19 seasons.
The Giants came one swap short of setting an MLB record. The St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles also started 19 different left fielders in 19 years from 1937 to 1955.
New manager Tony Vitello laughed Monday when asked if he had any tricks up his sleeve, a real possibility since the Giants optioned Bryce Eldridge to Triple-A last week and could have used Ramos in the DH spot for the first game. Vitello said he wanted things to be as normal as possible on day one of the 2026 MLB season and recalled when he heard about the streak after taking over as manager.
“My reaction was astonishment because it’s interesting,” he said.
The Giants plan to have a pretty set lineup this season, and that especially will be the case in the outfield, where Ramos, Harrison Bader (center field) and Jung Hoo Lee (right field) all will start on a daily basis. Bader recovered in time from late-spring hamstring tightness to be in the Opening Day lineup. Here’s how Vitello mapped it all out for his first game:
The streak started in 2007 with Bonds and included MLB All-Stars, Rule 5 picks, and the future managers of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Team USA. While several of the players on the list had long and successful Giants careers, they often ended up in left during their last season and then got replaced the following spring.
Dave Roberts was the first to start in left field after Bonds, followed by Fred Lewis, Mark DeRosa, Pat Burrell, Aubrey Huff, Andres Torres, Michael Morse, Nori Aoki, Angel Pagan, Jarrett Parker, Hunter Pence, Connor Joe, Alex Dickerson, Austin Slater, Joc Pederson, Blake Sabol, Michael Conforto and Ramos.
In 2024, Ramos started the season in the minors and then became the first homegrown outfielder since Chili Davis in 1986 to make the All-Star team as a Giant. Another infamous streak ended last season when Willy Adames became the first Giant since Bonds in 2004 to hit 30 home runs in a season.
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