Victor Bericoto was awaiting a 3-2 pitch with two runners on in the 9th inning, down by a run, when a man seated behind the plate with a physique reminiscent of Rod “Shooter” Beck decided that this was the time to go “Tarps Off.” As viewers at home flinched at the sudden flash of unexpected man boobery, Bericoto whiffed on a slider from struggling Minnesota Twins closer Jeff Hoffman, as if he could somehow sense the visual assault behind him. Hey Hoffman, where was that slider when you were blowing the World Series to the Dodgers?
It was an exciting 9th inning that featured a hit-by-pitch, a walk on a 3-2 pitch to Osleivis Basabe that ABS determined was 0.2 inches off the plate, and a scorching line drive from Jonah Cox that first looked like a game-tying single, then a game-ending double play, and eventually turned into an RBI fielder’s choice at third base.
Because this is the 2026 San Francisco Giants, the play also featured an ugly-looking injury to Basabe, who had to leave the game for pinch-runner Marcelo Mayer after what manager Tony Vitello said was a recurrence of a lingering hamstring injury. Don’t be surprised if that’s the last we see Basabe on the field this season.
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After the game, the team also announced that Blade Tidwell would undergo surgery for the strained UCL that took him out of Monday’s game. He will miss the entire 2027 season, along with Carson Whisenhunt and Trevor McDonald. Tidwell will be the 4th Giants pitcher of the season to get Tommy John surgery, an awful trend that started with Hayden Birdsong during spring training.
The Giants’ 158th game of the season saw the team play with a lot of heart and not a lot of brains. In a hard-fought, one-run game, the Giants made unforced outs on the basepaths in three separate innings. Giants hitters were picked off, doubled off, and thrown out on the bases in the loss, with the most inexplicable play happening when Andrew Knizner seemed to forget how many outs there were in the 7th inning.
After Knizner singled and Christian Koss beat out a sacrifice bunt, Twins right fielder Luke Keaschall made a sliding catch of pinch-hitter Basabe’s low liner. He threw to first and nearly doubled off Koss, but first baseman Royce Lewis was able to pick up one of the easiest assists of his career in doubling off Knizner, who wasn’t even in the camera frame as the inning ended.
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In the first inning, Jonah Cox walked, stole second, and reached third on the catcher’s error. It was Cox’s 15th steal in 58 games this season, a total that would have easily led the team last season (Willy Adames stole 12 bags). But Cox’s speed didn’t help him when he went on contact and got thrown out at the plate on Bericoto’s grounder to short.
That didn’t stop the Giants from bunting home a run in the second inning, when Shay Whitcome dashed home on Drew Cavanaugh’s sacrifice bunt, a play that didn’t appear to be a squeeze but a good old-fashioned sacrifice bunt.
Look, if this were 1906 instead of 2026, the Giants’ bunting prowess would make them an incredible offensive powerhouse, though prevailing medicine of the time would have meant that their injured pitchers would probably have been put down like hobbled racehorses. Unfortunately, modern baseball values hitting the ball out of the infield a little too much for the team’s current strengths.
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Whitcomb followed up his single with a walk in the 4th, and was immediately picked out. You whit some, you lose some.
Starter Anthony Molina (3-2) was an extremely hard-luck loser in this game. He retired the first 10 Twins he faced, then erased his first baserunner when Wayne Jenkins lined into a 4-3 double play. Through five innings, Molina had faced only one batter over the minimum and thrown just 64 pitches.
Then came the 6th. After a one-out single, Molina left on 0-2 fastball right over the middle of the plate and Keaschall hit a 404-foot triple to tie the game. Three pitches later, Brooks Lee delivered an RBI single between first and second.
Molina only gave up four hits and a walk, while striking out six, but Minnesota’s Taj Bradley was just as good. Bradley also struck out six, becoming the 10th Twin in history to hit 200Ks in a season, yielding three runs and walking three.
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Duncan Davitt, a player that I had no idea was on the Giants, relieved Molina in the 7th inning. Jenkins hit Davitt’s first pitch in a Giants uniform over the right field fence. Honestly, it feels like Davitt’s been in the bullpen all year. He fits right in.
He settled down and pitched two more innings, giving up just one more hit, a runner Carson Seymour erased by inducing a double play.
Rookie Bo Davidson drew a walk and got his second major-league hit in his second major-league game Tuesday. Grant McCray pinch-ran for Davidson in the 8th and stole his 8th base of the season (in 41 games), putting him fifth on the team this season. Still, the Giants stranded runners at second and third when Whitcomb struck out, on another 3-2 pitch.
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While the injuries to players didn’t stop, it was heart-warming to see Duane Kuiper return to the broadcast booth to pair with the retiring Mike Krukow, despite being in the middle of treatment for throat cancer. If you hadn’t seen the visual effects on Kuiper, you wouldn’t have noticed anything was wrong from the audio.
And honestly, while the team of Kruk & Kuip got to broadcast three world championships and some exciting playoff teams, a night of exciting, highly stupid baseball is exactly in the wheelhouse of the legendary duo. The Giants have four more games to let Krukow take a shot at another home run call — though perhaps Kruk & Kuip should start brainstorming catchphrases for RBI bunts, just in case.
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