Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning and facing arguably the most dominant closer in all of baseball since 2018 in All-Star Josh Hader, the Giants completed their most improbable comeback with three home runs in the inning, including a walk-off blast. Igniting the rally was a no-doubter from rookie catcher Joey Bart to lead off the frame. Darin Ruf then parked one in the bleachers with one out to bring the Giants within a run, before an Austin Slater single, Yermin Mercedes hit by pitch and Thiaro Estrada single helped load the bases for one Mike Yastrzemski who did the rest. Sending the first pitch he saw deep into the night and over the wall in centerfield, Yaz hit the Giants' first walk-off grand slam since Bobby Bonds in 1973, ending a drought by the Giants that had seen every other MLB team record a walk-off grand slam in the last 15 seasons. It also marked the first time in MLB history that a team hit three home runs in an inning including a walk-off grand slam. Game three against Milwaukee saw a pitchers-duel between starters Alex Cobb and Eric Lauer, with the Giants pulling off the 2-1 victory thanks to a bases-loaded balk in the 8th inning by Brewers reliever and former Giant Jandel Gustave. And in the finale, the Giants' bats woke up in a 9-5 win behind homers from LaMonte Wade Jr. and Brandon Belt, backing another stellar outing from starting pitcher and All-Star snub Logan Webb.
Despite coming off one of their better series victories of the season, it wasn't long ago that Gabe Kapler and company were dropping game after game against inferior competition. On the cusp of being 10 games above .500 as recent as June 22 before a blown save by Jake McGee in Atlanta, the Giants have been nowhere near that mark ever since. Following their series against the defending World Series champion Braves, the Giants proceeded to drop two of three at home to the lowly Reds, split a short two-game set with the Detroit Tigers, and were swept at home by the White Sox who entered the series four games under .500. But the struggles didn't stop there as San Francisco took to the road and dropped two of three to the last-place Diamondbacks before needing a ninth inning rally to avoid being swept in the desert. The Giants then dropped the first two of four in San Diego before a pair of inspiring outings from starters Carlos Rodon and Alex Wood helped the Giants get some of their mojo back. Returning to Oracle Park, the Giants took two of three from Arizona before their strong showing against Milwaukee, which leads us to where we are now.
Currently tied with the Philadelphia Phillies in the loss column for the third and final NL Wild Card spot, San Francisco is slated to open the second half of the season in L.A. for a three-game tilt with the archrival Dodgers whom they swept in San Francisco when they last battled in mid-June. Both teams have taken completely different turns since they last saw one another, as the Dodgers sit in first place in the NL West with an NL-best record of 60-30 and only seem to be getting stronger. Meanwhile the Giants hope to pick up after the All-Star break right where they left off while getting a few guys back along the way. With pitcher Jakob Junis activated just in time on Sunday to shake off some rust before the All-Star break after being out since June 10 with a hamstring injury, the Giants swingman pitcher who contributed both out of the bullpen and in the starting rotation before his stint on the IL, was arguably the club's best pitcher at the time he got hurt. The team also received third baseman Evan Longoria back from the IL after being out since July 6 with an oblique injury, giving the Giants much needed help in the infield at a critical time as shortstop Brandon Crawford hits the IL for the second time in less than two weeks with an injured knee. One player the Giants will not be seeing return from IL this season is starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani who recently announced the will miss the remainder of the 2022 season due to right ankle surgery.
As for the MLB All-Star Game itself, Giants fans will be able to cheer on outfielder Joc Pederson (17 HR, 42 RBI) and pitcher Carlos Rodon (8-5, 131 K's, 2.66 ERA) as both players were named to their second Mid-Summer Classic. One guy who won't partake in this year's All-Star festivities is Giants ace Logan Webb (9-3, 2.83 ERA) who was snubbed after registering a 1.37 ERA over his last seven starts. Another Giant who has earned noteworthy recognition this season is outfielder Luis Gonzalez. In what's been another one of GM Farhan Zaidi's great finds is Gonzalez who was claimed off of waivers from the Chicago White Sox late last season. Capitalizing on an injury in the outfield to the recently traded Steven Duggar, Gonzo has been a nice add to the Giants this season and although he recently returned to the club after a stint on the Injured-List and has seen some struggles with a back injury, he was named the Rookie of the Month in the National League for the month of May.
With ten fewer wins than they had at this point last year during their magical and historic run to a franchise-record 107 regular season wins, hopefully the All-Star break won't put a stop to their recent red-hot streak. Instead, hopefully this last string of success will kickstart a new streak for a Giants team likely to kick the tires on a few trades at the deadline if all continues to go well.
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