


No one ever expected the Giants to find another Barry Bonds to play left field.
But you’d think by now they might have found a left fielder who was at least around long enough to make a couple Opening Day starts in a row.
When the Giants open the season this afternoon at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Heliot Ramos will be their 18th consecutive different left fielder since Bonds made his final Opening Day start in 2007.
That will tie the major league record for the longest such streak at any position.
Here’s a look at the Giants’ Opening Day starters since 2007:
2024 —Michael Conforto
How it went: Had three hits, including a homer with two out in the top of the ninth, in a 6-4 loss at San Diego.
Where he went: Signed as a free agent with the Dodgers in December.
2023 — Blake Sabol
How it went: Went 0 for 2 in a 5-0 loss at Yankee Stadium.
Where he went: The former Rule 5 draft pick spent most of 2024 in the minors and was traded to Boston in January.
2022 — Joc Pederson
How it went: Batted cleanup and went 0 for 1 with a walk in a 6-5 extra-inning home win over the Marlins.
Where he went: Pederson hit .23 home runs and made the All-Star team and was back in the Opening Day lineup the next season — at DH.
2021 — Austin Slater
How it went: Went 1 for 3 with a walk, including a solo home run in an 8-7 loss in Seattle.
Where he went: Slater played in left field on Opening Day a year later — it was just the final five innings. Slater pinch hit for Pederson in the sixth inning and won the game in the 10th with a walk-off double.
2020 — Alex Dickerson
How it went: Batting cleanup, Dickerson went 2 for 4 to open the season that had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Giants lost 8-1 in L.A.
Where he went: Moved into primarily a platoon/defensive replacement role.
2019 — Connor Joe
How it went: Went 0 for 1 with a walk in a 2-0 loss at San Diego.
Where he went: Joe lasted just eight games with the Giants before he was returned to the Dodgers, who originally had selected him in the Rule 5 draft.
2018 — Hunter Pence
How it went: After starting in right four of the previous five seasons, Pence moved over to make room for Andrew McCutcheon. He had two hits in a 1-0 win in L.A.
Where he went: Signed as a free agent with the Rangers.
2017 — Jarrett Parker
How it went: Was hitless in two at-bats in a 6-5 loss in Arizona.
Where he went: Spent most of the season in the minors and was released just before the end of spring training in 2018.
2016 — Angel Pagán
How it went: Pagán, the starter in center the prevoius four openers, was 1 for 4 with a walk in a 12-3 win in Milwaukee.
Where he went: Pagán tested the free agent market and when he didn’t receive the deal he wanted he retired at the age of 34.
2015 — Nori Aoki
How it went: Six months after facing the Giants in the World Series with the Royals, Aoki batted leadoff went 2 for 5 and scored a run in a 5-4 win in Arizona.
Where he went: Aoki’s season was cut short by injuries and the Giants didn’t pick up his option.
2014 — Michael Morse
How it went: Went 1 for 3 with a walk in a 9-8 win in Arizona.
Where he went: Two months after driving in the go-ahead run in Game 7 of the World Series against the Royals he signed with the Marlins.
2013 — Andres Torres
How it went: Back after one season with the Mets, Torres went 0 for 3 in a 4-0 loss at Dodger Stadium.
Where he went: Missed the final two months with a left Achilles strain and never played again in the majors.
2012 — Aubrey Huff
How it went: The starter at first base and right field the previous two openers, respectively, went 1 for 4 in a 5-4 loss at Arizona.
Where he went: Huff played in just 52 games, mostly as a pinch hitter, and never played again after Game 1 of the World Series.
2011 — Pat Burrell
How it went: Hit a home run in the ninth inning in a 2-1 loss at Dodger Stadium.
Where he went: Retired after starting in left on the final day of the regular season.
2010 — Mark DeRosa
How it went: Went 1 for 3 with a home run in a 5-2 win at Houston.
Where he went: He was on the roster on Opening Day 2011 after an injury-plagued 2010, but never played an inning in the outfield.
2009 — Fred Lewis
How it went: Went 1 for 4 with a walk in a 10-6 home win over the Brewers.
Where he went: Ended the season 2 for 22 (.091), failed to make the Opening Day roster in 2010 and was traded to Toronto.
2008 — Dave Roberts
How it went: Led off the Giants’ season with a single to center in a 5-0 road loss to the Dodgers.
Where he went: Retired after injuries limited him to 52 games.
2007 —Barry Bonds
How it went: Went 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base in a 7-0 home loss to the Padres..
Where he went: Bonds, who’d turn 42 in his final season and appear in the All-Star Game, headed into retirement after hitting 28 home runs with a league-leading 132 walks in 126 games.