Finally, the never-ending game was about to reach its conclusion.
Through two rain delays and a furious ninth-inning rally, the Giants were a strike away from locking up a tidy five-hour win.
Their flame-throwing closer rocked back and fired a 98 mph cutter above the strike zone. Luis Garcia slashed at it through the pouring rain. He appeared to think it was foul off the bat, standing in the box as it sailed higher and deeper toward the left field corner.
Michael Conforto tracked it to the wall and ran out of room. A hyphenated stunner: two-strike, opposite-field, game-tying, three-run homer.
The numbers validated everyone's feeling in the moment. Garcia's ball had an expected batting average of .030. It's only supposed to be a hit three times in 100 tries. On Thursday it was 1 for 1.
And the best part? It didn't matter.
Up next: The Giants, a winning team for the first time since May 29, head back to San Francisco to start a seven-game homestand. It’ll be Robbie Ray (2-1, 4.40 ERA) against the Tigers at 7:15 p.m.