Matt Chapman has earned a reputation as Major League Baseball’s preeminent defensive third baseman, but his breakthrough play may have been the game-winning play in the Giants’ thrilling 8-7 win over the New York Mets on Friday night at Citi Field.
With San Francisco clinging to a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Mets third baseman Mark Ventus entered the batters’ box facing a 3-2 count with two outs and the bases loaded. Vientos hit a slow roller down the third base line, and briefly appeared to put the ball in a spot where a cornerback wouldn’t normally charge and make a play. the problem? Chapman is not your typical third baseman.
Chapman threw a bare-knuckle throw that was caught out of the dirt in breathtaking fashion by first baseman Lamonte Wade Jr., narrowly beating Ventus to the bag and giving the Giants their third straight come-from-behind victory after San Francisco trailed by at least four runs in each game.
After the thrilling win, Chapman revealed that his heroics in the ninth inning were his most dramatic ever after making a defensive play on the diamond.
“I think that’s the most excited I’ve ever been after a play,” Chapman told reporters. “Obviously the situation and how these last four games have gone [has] It was just crazy games. To be able to play defense like that, with the bases loaded, with the game on the line, I think that’s probably for the best for sure. I kind of surprised myself a little bit there. “It was a lot of fun and I’m glad we got this win.”
The All-Star third baseman detailed his thought process while charging the ball, revealing the do-or-die nature of his attempt.
“We miss the ball and then the guy from third base keeps running and we either lose or throw the ball away,” Chapman explained. “But I think at the time I thought I could play the game. I said in my head: ‘Okay, we either win this game or lose it here.’
While Chapman’s superior self-confidence ultimately won the game for the Giants, manager Bob Melvin shared that he didn’t think the third baseman had a chance to make a play on the ball.
“This is a ball you hope will foul, this is not a ball you play on,” Melvin told reporters after Friday’s win. “So at some point, he’s got to see if he has a chance, and I didn’t think he did. And I’ve seen him make every play he’s ever made.”
Melvin also made sure to emphasize Wade Jr.’s contribution. In the final game of the game, highlighting the difficulty of picking up that ball from the dirt cleanly to score the final game.
“Great on both ends,” Melvin said. “It’s a do-or-die game. You stretch that far to catch that ball and it goes past you. It’s a loss.”
Chapman has certainly led the offense during San Francisco’s recent hot streak, but he was also quick to credit Wade Jr.’s role in the defensive play that stopped the show.
“Unbelievable,” Chapman said regarding Wade’s effort on the play. “He could have easily taken his glove off [and] We are losing. He hung in there and made a nice choice and stayed on base. “This play wouldn’t happen without him.”
Catcher Patrick Bailey showed up well on his way to delivering what was no doubt about it He was It was the most exciting play of the game, as she fired the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth to give the Giants a 7-6 lead after entering the inning trailing by four runs.
While Bailey’s bat provided plenty of power of its own, the Giants catcher was quick to praise the defensive efforts of Chapman and Wade Jr. after Friday’s win.
“Oh my God, that was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen on a baseball field, what [Chapman] “I did in that situation, on that play,” Bailey said on “Giants Postgame Live.” “And then on the other side with LaMonte picking that up. I mean that was a great win.”
The improbable victory moved the Giants to .500 for the first time since March 31. – Four games into the 2024 MLB season when they sit at 2-2.
Friday’s win was San Francisco’s seventh in its last eight games, a hot streak sparked by the offense, not the shooting, which led the team through the early stretch of the season.
The Giants are averaging seven runs per game over their last eight contests, which begs the question, what would this team look like if they were able to synchronize this quality offensive output with the quality of pitching that carried them to start the campaign?
Don’t look now, but the never-say-die Giants are just a half-game away from third place in the NL Wild Card, and are incredibly turning themselves into a team no one wants to face next October, especially if they continue their late-inning penchant for champions. .
San Francisco has weathered a whirlwind of injuries and rotating lineups, but the Giants emerged from a tumultuous early-season stretch with perhaps the most important asset a baseball team can have — the firm belief that no deficit is too big and no game is out of play. From arrival until the twenty-seventh and final checkout is made.
The golden years of the San Francisco dynasty were built on “torture,” and with the way things are going, you can count on another summer of exciting finishes.
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