There’s nothing quite like facing off against an old friend in the big leagues, but the feeling is even sweeter when you come out on top.
Young Giants outfielder Drew Gilbert experienced that firsthand in San Francisco’s 8-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday, taking former Tennessee teammate Chase Dollander deep for a two-run homer in the third inning at Coors Field.
While Gilbert certainly was fired up as he rounded the bases, he had nothing but compliments for his old friend after the win. The outfielder’s postgame demeanor tends to differ from the energy he displays on the field, which he credits to the “heat of the competition.”
“It’s cool,” Gilbert said of homering off Dollander. “Obviously grateful to have played with him, and he was a great teammate of mine, and he’s a heck of a pitcher and has a super bright future. He’s going to pitch in this league for a long time, so any chance you get to do something off a guy like that, you definitely cherish it.”
Gilbert had the Giants — and fans at home — rolling when he came back into the dugout after the homer, with a loud celebration involving Matt Chapman that was described by NBC Sports Bay Area broadcaster Javier Lopez as “next level.”
Gilbert and Dollander are two of four former Vols to make their MLB debuts during the 2025 season. San Francisco acquired Gilbert in the deadline trade that sent Tyler Rogers to the New York Mets, and the 24-year-old made his big-league debut against the Washington Nationals on Aug. 8 at Oracle Park.
“I think it’s always fun when you know a guy, you’re friends with someone and you get to compete against them,” Gilbert said when asked if he was more fired up than normal after the home run. “Obviously, I’ve just known him for so long, and he knows it, and I know it, so it’s just fun competition, friendly competition.
“And you know, I’m sure he’ll have plenty of moments where he’ll get the best of me, as we’re hopefully going to be in the same division for a long time.”
It certainly was a full-circle moment for Gilbert, who ended the day 4-for-4 with three runs and two RBI after the homer off his former teammate. Over his last six games, Gilbert appears to be benefitting from more playing time and is hitting .409 (9-for-22) with three doubles, six runs, seven RBI and a home run.
The Giants have felt Gilbert’s energy as the rookie becomes more comfortable, too.
“Oh my God, he might have more energy than me,” Willy Adames told Laura Britt and Sergio Romo on “Giants Postgame Live” after the win. “He shows up every day like he has new batteries … People are acting like, yo, how do you get so much energy? Where do you get it from? Like, give us something. Whatever you’re taking, we want some, too.
“He’s hilarious. He brought some energy to this club that we needed.”
The electric Gilbert wasn’t the only Giant to homer in Monday’s win, either. Rafael Devers hit his second home run in as many games when he crushed a 114.5-mph missile over the right-field wall — the hardest exit velocity on a Giants home run during the Statcast era, per MLB’s Sarah Langs.
And Adames crushed his 26th homer of the season in the seventh inning, increasing his odds to become the first player to hit 30 home runs in a full Giants season since Barry Bonds hit 45 in 2004. With Monday’s two-run shot, Adames also made his mark as the first Giants player with 26-plus homers through 138 games since Bonds in 2007, again per Langs.
The homers marked the first time San Francisco has homered in 15 consecutive games since 2001, too.
As the Giants’ offense continued to thrive, Kai-Wei Teng, whom San Francisco recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday after placing lefty Carson Whisenhunt on the 15-day injured list, did his job well. The right-hander surrendered two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts and no walks in his first start at Coors Field.
The Giants didn’t escape their successful series opener against the Rockies unscathed, however; Dollander hit Casey Schmitt in the right elbow to begin a three-run rally in the fifth, and the second baseman eventually was pulled from the game after initially going to first base.
After the game, manager Bob Melvin told reporters X-rays on Schmitt’s elbow came back negative, and that the Giants will see how he feels tomorrow. Christian Koss could start in his place, but the team doesn’t anticipate Schmitt landing on the IL.
The Giants (69-69) now are back to .500 with Monday’s win and sit five games back of the third and final NL wild-card spot, held by the Mets. With 24 games remaining, San Francisco certainly isn’t backing down. Gilbert seems more than ready for the final push, though he isn’t letting on if he’s starting to feel like a true big leaguer yet.
“I don’t know if I ever want to say [I’m feeling more comfortable] just because it’s the best players in the world on a night-to-night basis,” Gilbert said. “I think there’s more of a comfort level just being around your teammates, getting to know them, the coaching staff, just a new environment.
“Being able to kind of mold in here and get to know some of the guys has made it a lot easier.”
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