The years 1929 and 2020 will always be connected in American history. The former was the year the stock market crashed, leading to the Great Depression. That last one is, well, we live it, and it’s also a very consuming nightmare.
In the Giants’ history books, those two years are now connected as well. And there is also some depression involved in this comparison.
The Giants lost Friday night to the A’s 8-7 after leading 7-2 on Friday night in the ninth inning. If that sounds like an almost impossible outcome, it’s because it is. The Giants had not blown a five-run lead in the ninth inning or later since 1929, accumulating 2,133 consecutive wins in that situation, according to Stats Perform.
For all the history there, this unbelievable loss actually evolved clean. When the game was over, suffering a historic loss made sense, mostly because just about everything the Giants had done in that fateful inning raised even more questions.
It started with the choice of a jar. Gabe Kapler turned to Trevor Gott, his close range, with a five-run lead, which is certainly defensible. But even though God is not officially appointed the closer, that is his role and those guys often have an early time when they are asked to finish a blowout.
Kapler said the staff chose God because they thought they should at least come up with God when they went with Jarlin Garcia or Trevor Rogers, and that is not a day off.
“The thought process is how can we use one pitcher there,” Kapler said.
This leads to an obvious question. How can you trust your secondary relievers again in any situation if you are not sure they can record three outs sooner? give up five runes?
We leave that one first alone. As it was, God was the choice and he clearly did not have it. God’s speed was normal, but his command was disabled. Kapler stuck to him, and he said he did not think God was thrown by the situation.
“I totally understand why you might go, ‘Maybe he’s not used to that situation.’ He has put in higher charge situations, and those are things that are true. But what I saw came out was a very straightforward and aggressive and intense competitor who just had no command and was beaten as a result. “
God gave up a homer and then went out for a walk with one. The Giants were still in decent shape, but then Wilmer Flores made an inexplicable decision about a grounder after first base.
Flores took two steps to the bag and then, with only one more needed for the 26th of the night, spun and threw to second. Brandon Crawford slipped his foot from a second too short to a second, apparently thinking Flores had touched first, and both runners were safe.
Instead of a lead on four runs with two outs and a runner in second place, Gott had two runners on and just one out.
“I should have just stepped on first base with that lead we had,” Flores said after the game.
Crawford had come in as a defensive replacement, but Kapler said he wanted to give Brandon Belt a night away because he has a slightly lower half and the staff trusted Flores to get through that last inning.
‘It is [Flores’] best position and we wanted to do everything possible to get Brandon Belt one day and get him ready for tomorrow, “said Kapler.
The problem was Belt the end up playing. He struck out like a pincher in the 10th with the band going from second to second, swinging through three fastballs from Liam Hendricks. However, that is fast forwarding.
After Flores’ mistake, Gott hit a bat to load the bases and then hung a curveball that Stephen Piscotty jumped to the left for a grand slam that completed the historic comeback.
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The Giants went to extra innings for the third time this year, and Garcia came in and got a grounder, flyout and grounder. However, that was enough to move the placed runner from second to home for the run. Three Giants struck out in a similar situation at the bottom of the inning, and that was the end.
So, there you have it, that’s how you suffer a loss that has not been seen since 1929. It was a train wreck, but a slow one, and it turned out that the Giants were dumbfounded. Kapler said he would process the loss if the night went on.
“We will talk about it and find out ways to get better for tomorrow,” he said. “And things we could have done differently.”
