Memories of a greater game

Giants 3, Pirates 0

Friday night was not the Brian Johnson Game. It wasn't.

But… it felt like a distant cousin of it? Not because of the stakes, but because of how it ended.

That's what was going through my mind as Camilo Doval walked the tight rope in the ninth. With the bases loaded against the Pirates best player, he turned a comebacker into an inning-ending, game-saving double play.

Rod Beck, pitching for the Giants on that late September day in 1997, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 10th when Hall of Famer Eddie Murray bounced into a double play.

And then, of course, the Brian Johnson Game is only the Brian Johnson Game because catcher Brian Johnson belted a walk-off home run, sending the Giants streaking toward an NL West title.

Enter Patrick Bailey. Needing only a fly ball to score the winning run Friday night, the switch-hitting catcher hammered a fastball toward the cove to end it.

Friday night was not the Brian Johnson Game. But it sure reminded me of it.

Up next: Giants ace Jordan Hicks (2-0, 1.61 ERA) faces Martín Pérez (1-1, 3.45 ERA) with a chance to get the club back to a familiar spot: .500. First pitch at 6:05 p.m.

Up next for me is a trip through the rainy streets of London and Paris. I’ll be back in your inbox in about a week. Enjoy the games.