The art of the steal

Giants 7, Nationals 1

The Giants unlocked a new feature Wednesday afternoon: the stolen base.

They became the last team in baseball to swipe a bag. It took the 26th man on the roster, Tyler Fitzgerald, getting his first start of the year to make it happen.

He stole not one but two (!) bases in the second inning, allowing him to score on an infield single. He manufactured the kind of run that's been rare for the Giants since Farhan Zaidi took over in 2019.

Zaidi stresses each winter the team's need to "get more athletic." Yet in three of the five full seasons he's run the Giants they've finished bottom-five in stolen bases.

I'm not hear to harp on the Giants for being slow. Just, uh, appreciate a stolen base when you see one. Like an eclipse, they don't come around often.

Up next: The Giants begin an all-Florida road trip tomorrow. It’ll be Keaton Winn (0-2, 5.73 ERA) against a mysterious, unannounced starter for the Rays. First pitch at 3:50 p.m.