V is for Victory
Giants 3, Padres 2
The first rally of the season started with an 0-2 count. Matt Chapman stood in patiently, letting Walker Buehler show off his repertoire.
Chapman took a cutter, changeup, and slider all outside the zone. He fouled off a knuckle curve. Then he got what he wanted: A fastball over the plate, rocketed up the middle at 107 mph.
He came around to score on a Patrick Bailey single, setting up Casey Schmitt to twist the knife a little more. Schmitt slashed a ground ball to short, in the exact spot where double plays are born and rallies go to die.
But with two outs, Xander Bogaerts had shifted closer to third and could only watch the ball skirt past him.
It was the kind of hit that made you feel like you were stealing a run. It was the kind of hit you wait all winter for. And for Tony Vitello, it was the kind of hit you wait four impossibly long games for.
Up next: Logan Webb will try to rebound from his disaster against the Yankees. The Padres give him trouble, though, and they counter with longtime Friend Of The West Germán Márquez. First pitch at 6:40 pm.
Recommended reading: Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic did a two-part Q&A with Giants owner Greg Johnson. They discuss what you’d expect, plus digging, AI, and real estate.