Kevin Gausman heard the boos on Friday when he stepped into the batter’s box for the San Francisco Giants, realizing right away that the fans had no idea his team were down to their last options with no position players left in their game against the Atlanta Braves.
So the pinch-hitting pitcher stood in and delivered, lofting a full-count, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 11th inning that sent the Giants past the Braves 6-5 to increase their lead in the National League West.
“Oh man, that was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my entire career,” Gausman said. “When it was 3-2 and everybody stood up, it was probably one of the coolest moments of my life... Just crazy.”
Photo: AFP
The Giants, saved when Donovan Solano came off the COVID-19 injured list and connected for a tying, pinch-hit home run with two outs in the ninth, moved two games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division race.
Atlanta had their NL East lead trimmed to two games over the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Giants had only pitchers left on the bench when Gausman, with a 0.184 average this season, hit for reliever Camilo Doval, who had never batted in his professional career.
Photo: AP
“More than anything I was trying to not look ridiculous, just take good swings, swing at strikes,” a giddy Gausman said. “Obviously I never would have thought I would have got in that situation coming to the ballpark today.”
Hardly ridiculous. Not even close.
Braves manager Brian Snitker got caught off guard by it.
Photo: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY
“I honestly thought he’d probably take that 3-2 pitch so he didn’t expand the strike zone and maybe swing at one over his head or something,” Snitker said.
Instead, Gausman hit a flyball to shallow right field and Brandon Crawford beat the throw home with a head-first slide.
Gausman’s teammates chest bumped him and cheered near first base a day after the right-hander took his first defeat since July 30.
Photo: AFP
“That’s the first time I’ve pulled a ball in the big leagues, so I didn’t really know how to gauge it,” the pitcher said.
The celebration showed him what it meant.
“I was shocked when I turned around and Craw was running,” he said. “That was pretty cool. I think the fans enjoyed it, seeing a pitcher hit it in the 11th inning... I got some boos when they announced my name, I think they thought we had more people on the bench, but we didn’t, we didn’t have anybody else.”
Crawford began the final inning at second base and advanced on a wild pickoff throw by Jacob Webb (4-3), who then intentionally walked Evan Longoria. With one out, Solano was walked to load the bases.
“He actually does take his batting practice seriously. That was just a hell of an at-bat — pitcher, position player, it was a great at-bat,” manager Gabe Kapler said of Gausman.
“Had a game plan and was looking to get a pitch in the air. Craw got a great jump and made a great slide,” he said.
Tyler Matzek had retired Crawford on a grounder with two outs in the 10th inning and the bases loaded.
Doval (3-1) pitched a perfect 11th for the win.
Down 4-2, the Braves rallied in the ninth when Travis d’Arnaud hit a go-ahead, three-run homer. Austin Riley and Adam Duvall hit consecutive singles to start the inning against Tyler Rogers and d’Arnaud connected one out later.
Solano homered off former Giants reliever Will Smith, who blew his sixth save.
Brandon Belt hit a two-run homer, Crawford also connected and LaMonte Wade Jr had a splash homer — recorded when Giants players hit a home run that lands in McCovey Cove on the fly — for the Giants.
San Francisco starter Logan Webb struck out nine and did not walk a batter, allowing two runs on six hits. He was in position to win his 10th consecutive decision dating to a May 5 loss against the Colorado Rockies.
“This was what I’ve been waiting for all year. Of course I pitched today and Gaus gets it,” Webb said. “That was fun, that was real fun, that was awesome.”
The Braves had won six of their past seven games in San Francisco, where they played for the first time since May 2019.
Atlanta’s past 10 losses have been by one or two runs.
The Giants have homered in a season-high 12 straight games dating to Sept. 5 — 26 total during that span — for their longest such streak since doing so in 13 consecutive games from June 25 to July 12 in 2019.
Solano’s shot marked the franchise-record 16th pinch-homer by San Francisco this season.
Belt’s homer also gave him a 10-game hitting streak.
In St Louis, Missouri, Dylan Carlson homered twice, including a grand slam, to help Miles Mikolas win for the first time in two years as the streaking Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 8-2 in the opener of a critical series between wild-card contenders.
The Cardinals’ sixth straight win kept them a game ahead of Cincinnati for the second NL wild card.
San Diego dropped 1.5 games behind St Louis.
Mikolas (1-2) threw 5-2/3 shutout innings, allowing three hits, walking two and striking out three.
Vince Velasquez (3-7) pitched four innings, allowing four runs and four hits.
In other games on Friday, it was:
‧ Angels 4, Athletics 5
‧ Astros 4, D’backs 3 (10i)
‧ Blue Jays 3, Twins 7
‧ Brewers 8, Cubs 5
‧ Marlins 1, Pirates 2
‧ Mets 3, Phillies 4
‧ Nationals 8, Rockies 9
‧ Rangers 0, White Sox 8
‧ Rays 7, Tigers 4 (10i)
‧ Red Sox 7, Orioles 1
‧ Reds 3, Dodgers 1
‧ Royals 2, Mariners 6
‧ Yankees 8, Indians 0
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