Pedro Martinez suggests Rafael Devers pinch runner controversy caused by language barrier

The seeming refusal by San Francisco star Rafael Devers to exit the game for a pinch runner on Sunday night has become yet another flash point in a miserable Giants season, drawing sharp rebukes from several former players on the local and national level.

But on Tuesday night, TBS studio analyst and Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez offered a different perspective, largely defending Devers, a fellow Dominican star, for what he described as a “miscommunication,” while also acknowledging that Devers can sometimes be in “la-la land” while playing.

“Rafi loves being in the game. As you saw his entire career, he loves being in the game. But at the same time, I think there’s a miscommunication,” Martinez said. “First of all, Devers does not speak well in English. The translators sometimes can probably get the wrong impression from the way he says it. I think Devers did not find the proper words to kind of explain the kind of mess that went on. And that’s where everything was probably confused.”

Rafael Devers’ pinch runner controversy looked like a classic misunderstanding to @45pedromartinez 😅🤔 pic.twitter.com/ANIZhvWkYi

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) June 24, 2026

In a harsh postgame reaction, NBC Sports Bay Area studio analyst Rich Aurilia said Devers waving off the pinch runner late in a close game came across even worse considering he does not often speak to media, while host Bonta Hill suggested Devers was upstaging rookie head coach Tony Vitello.

Later, former MLB outfielder Eric Byrnes said on a podcast that Devers’ move was “dogsh*t” and “embarrassing.”

But Martinez said he believes Devers was trying to gesture that he was not hurt, and may not have known the rule requiring pinch runners to enter the game once they have stepped onto the field and the manager has noted the move to the umpire.

“If I know Rafi, what he meant to say is I’m not all that bad to come out of the game. I’m good enough to stay in the game,” Martinez explained.

“Because that’s the only explanation you can probably have for a situation like that. But once you call on the pinch runner and it’s announced to the umpire, it’s done. So Devers should have known that. But Rafi’s in a little bit of la-la land sometimes when it comes to really understanding what’s going on. He plays the game, he knows the game but the ruling of the game, sometimes those guys have a hard time understanding it.”

Moments like these are why it is important to have someone like Martinez in the studio, able to cut through some of the cultural differences in baseball that can sometimes explain controversies like the one Devers is facing. Of course, if Devers or Vitello were to offer a more thorough explanation, the questions could be nipped in the bud. Until that happens, Martinez’s comments stand Devers as the only real defense of Devers to break through in the media as the majority of commentators take the opportunity to crush a player who has underwhelmed since arriving in San Francisco.