The night Fenway Park officially turned the page

It was a no-doubt-about-it kind of night at Fenway Park on Friday.

For those wondering what Rafael Devers' reception would look like upon his return to Boston, they got the definitive answer when the slugger strode to the plate in the first inning while being showered with primarily boos. There was little room for interpretation.

Any curiosity about how much the Red Sox organization and players would do to remember how impactful Devers had been was answered by pregame hugs, testimonials, and the tribute video that played leading into the top of the second inning.

"I don’t want to think about the past," Devers said in an eight-minute pregame with the media prior to what would ultimately be a 6-4 Red Sox win over the Giants. “I don’t want to talk about the past, but at the same time, we’re all grown ups. We have to understand this is the business of baseball. But at the same time, you make mistakes and you have to move on and mature.”

"When I go into the struggles, sometimes I hear him talking to me in my head, and yeah, of course, I think he will be with me in my whole career, because he taught me a lot," Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela said. “He taught me a lot the moment I had him here, so yeah, I was really fortunate to have him as a teammate."

And then there was the final punctuation to defining Devers' existence, a 412-foot home run, his 96th career regular season homer at Fenway Park. (It is the most home runs hit by any player at Fenway since 2017, 26 more than the runner-up, J.D. Martinez.)

In one fell-swoop, the complicated relationship Devers has had with the Red Sox and their fans over the past two seasons were all bubbled up, relitigated, and then ... pushed aside in favor of more pressing matters. Most notably, the Red Sox continuing to make it clear they can actually win without the presence of the player who was supposed to be their foundation for the next decade.

The standings would suggest there is little doubt the Sox have cracked the post-Devers code, living life 5 1/2 games clear of the wild card dividing line (and 3 back of the Yankees for the top wild card spot). And then there is the record since the infielder's exit, with Boston going 121-96 with a postseason appearance, which is the fifth-best record of any MLB team.

And then there was the here-and-the-now of this edition of the Red Sox, most notably the most obvious example of replacing Devers' power - a 452-foot, 116 mph blast over the left field wall by Willson Contreras, who now has the exact same number of homers this season (26) as the former Sox third baseman.

"I didn't see it," said Red Sox starter Sonny Gray, who is now tied for most wins by any pitcher in MLB this season (16). “I heard everyone else talking about 'pa la calle,' which means (to the street). So, yeah, it was 'pa la calle.'"

"It was hit a ton," said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. "He hit it really good,"

When it comes to life after Devers, it is what it is, and it was what it was.

There will be two more games at Fenway, with the fans undoubtedly parroting Friday's boo birds, albeit with a little less gusto. But, much like any former Red Sox star who returned in another uniform, the animosity will wane with each game and plate appearance.

As for where it goes from here, you can pick your movie quote:

Hoosiers: "I would hope you would support who we are. Not, who we are not."

Batman Begins: ""It's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines us."

Or better yet, just loop back in October to make sure the Red Sox are still hitting home runs ... and winning.

Rafael Devers' Red Sox legacy has already been defined. The same can't be said for the 2026 version of his former organization.