Silence and celebration all at once

Giants 5, Mariners 4 (walk-off)

The game stopped for nearly 10 minutes.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Victor Robles lay in agony. He had just hurtled over the wall and into the netting, making one of the most spectacular catches you'll ever see at a speed most of us could never reach.

Robles's herculean effort offered little reward. He secured the out, yes. But the winning run advanced to second because Robles catapulted himself out of play. He left the field on a cart, leaving me and everyone else to think. And feel. And wonder.

How do you reconcile the thrills of an incredible play with the sobering sight of an staggering to his knees? How do you square that with the anticipation of a walk-off hit? And what happens when it comes on the very next pitch?

One moment the ballpark sat silent and numb. The next it pulsated over a seventh straight win, the previous 10 minutes a distant memory.

There's no right or wrong response, just a nod that you may never see a sequence like that ever again.

ICYMI: I’m doing a Giants podcast with KNBR’s Kerry Crowley. Listen to the first episode of Giants Postcards wherever you get your podcasts, and expect to hear from us every week throughout the season.

Up next: In one of those weird schedule quirks, the Reds are back, and it’ll be an Opening Day rematch: Hunter Greene vs. Logan Webb. First pitch tonight at 6:45 pm.