Just as Giants fans dreamed of all offseason.
Ramirez even came through with a run-scoring single.
One problem: He did so Monday night in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform, capping a four-run uprising that overshadowed another encouraging start by Barry Zito.
Ramirez's season debut at AT&T Park did more than that, however. It reminded Giants fans their club lacks a potent bat.
A surprise guest also helped deliver that cruel message. Home-run king Barry Bonds made a rare cameo, drawing a standing ovation while nestling into his front-row seat among giddy Giants executives in the first inning.
But enough about those two sluggers. The 2009 Giants must rely on small-ball theatrics to contend, and that's just what they did to claw their way back into the series opener. A two-run eighth inning and Brian Wilson's clutch save lifted the Giants to a 5-4 victory.
To understand truly this Giants' offense, simply scrutinize the winning rally.
Fred Lewis and Edgar Renteria started it with singles, and then came No. 3 hitter Randy Winn.
Winn responded by sighing out. Er, striking out, dropping his average to .219, which sure seems kinda low for a No. 3 hitter.
Know who the Dodgers' No. 3 hitter is? Answer: Ramirez, who was batting .338 on the season after that seventh-inning RBI single.
Next up after Winn was Rich Aurilia, who was filling in for Bengie Molina at cleanup despite entering with a .188 batting average.
Aurilia came through with one of the weakest RBI in Baseball history. He chopped a nubber halfway up the first-base line, pitcher Ronald Belisario flicked the ball with his mitt toward home plate, but Lewis scored easily to tie it at 4.
Yeah, yeah, Aurilia got the job done. But imagine what kind of job Ramirez would have done. Or Bonds. Or any serious slugger.
Giants skipper Bruce Bochy imagined that Molina could be that slugger. So Molina was summoned, and here came the Bondsian blast that would put the Giants on top.
That blast: A grounder to third base that allowed Renteria to score for a 5-4 lead.
Look at all those words you just read. So much work just to scratch across two runs. Remember the good ol' days of Bonds blasting baseballs into McCovey Cove for a contending Giants team? Just to jog your memory, those blasts were replayed in a video tribute to him in the first inning.
What a first inning it was, by the way. Greatest in Giants history, even. Seriously. Zito pitched like the $126 million man that he is, retiring the side in order once Ramirez popped out to shallow center.
Then came Bonds sauntering down the aisle to his front-row seat. Then Dodgers outfielders clumsily collided in pursuit of a Renteria double. Mix in Winn's RBI triple to the center-field wall, an Aaron Rowand's headfirst dive into home plate, and, wham, the Giants led 3-0 against their hated rivals.
Eight innings later, the quot;Beat L-Aquot; chant soared through the windy stadium and closer Brian Wilson came on to pitch a 1-2-3 ninth, preserving the slimmest victory possible, and seemingly the only kind possible with the Giants' powerless offense.
Contact Cam Inman at cinman@bayareanewsgroup.com