Chapman’s heroic defensive effort seals another Giants comeback victory originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Matt Chapman has built a reputation as Major League Baseball’s preeminent defensive third baseman, but his magnum opus could have been the Giants’ thrilling 8-7 comeback victory over the New York Mets on Friday night at Citi Field.
With San Francisco holding onto a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Mets third baseman Mark Vientos stepped into the batter’s box with the score 3-2 with two outs and the bases loaded. Vientos hit a slow roller down the third base line and appeared to place the ball short where a corner infielder normally wouldn’t be able to attack and make a play. The problem? Chapman is not your typical third baseman.
Chapman made a barehanded throw that was breathtakingly plucked from the dirt by first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr., narrowly beating Vientos and giving the Giants their third straight victory after San Francisco trailed. minimum four runs in each match.
After the thrilling win, Chapman revealed that his ninth-inning heroics are the most excited he’s ever been after a defensive play on the diamond.
“I think this is the most excited I’ve ever gotten after a play,” Chapman told reporters. “Just the situation, of course, and how the last four games have gone [has] they were just silly games. To be able to have a walk-off play like that on defense, with the bases loaded and a game on the line, I think that’s definitely the best. I even surprised myself a little there. It was a lot of fun and I’m happy we got that win.”
The All-Star third baseman described his thought process while attacking the ball, revealing the do-or-die nature of his effort.
“You miss the ball and the third base guy keeps running and we lose, or we throw the ball away,” Chapman explained. “But I think at that time I believed that I could make the play. I just thought in my head, ‘Well, we either win this game or we lose it here.’
While Chapman’s high confidence in himself ultimately won the Giants the game, manager Bob Melvin said he didn’t believe his third baseman had a chance to make a play on the ball.
“That’s a ball you hope goes wrong, that’s not a ball you play with,” Melvin told reporters after Friday’s win. “So at some point he has to figure out if he has a chance, and I didn’t think so. And I’ve seen him make every play he’s ever made.”
Melvin also made sure to recognize Wade Jr.’s contribution. on the final play of the game, emphasizing how difficult it is to cleanly retrieve that ball from the sand to record the final out.
“Great on both sides,” Melvin said. “It’s a do-or-die game. You stretch so far to get that ball and it gets past you, it’s a loss.”
Chapman has certainly taken the lead during San Francisco’s recent hot streak, but he too was quick to fill Wade Jr.’s role. to praise in the breathtaking walk-off defense game she put on.
“Unbelievable,” Chapman said of Wade’s effort on the play. “That could have easily come off his glove [and] We’re losing. He stuck there, made a nice choice and stayed on base. That part couldn’t happen without him.”””
Catcher Patrick Bailey seemed well on his way to delivering what was sure to happen would It was the most exciting play of the game, launching a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the eighth, giving the Giants a 7-6 lead after entering the inning trailing by four runs.
While Bailey’s bat provided plenty of electricity on its own, the Giants catcher was quick to praise the defensive efforts of Chapman and Wade Jr. after Friday’s win.
“My goodness, that was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen on a baseball field [Chapman] did it in that situation, in that game,” Bailey said on “Giants Postgame Live.” “And on the other hand, when LaMonte made that choice. I mean, that was a great win.”
“My goodness, that was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen on a baseball field…”
Bailey is in awe of the way Chapman and Wade Jr. completed the Giants’ victory tonight pic.twitter.com/BGKrwUGX2S
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 25, 2024
The improbable victory put the Giants at .500 for the first time since March 31. – four games into the 2024 MLB season when they were 2-2.
Friday’s victory was San Francisco’s seventh in its last eight games, a nail-biter fueled by the offense rather than the pitching that had carried the team through the first part of the season.
The Giants have averaged more than seven runs per game over their last eight games, which begs the question: What will this team look like if they are able to sync this high-octane offensive output with the quality pitching they bring to the campaign could start?
Don’t look now, but the Never-say-Die Giants are just half a game out of the third NL Wild Card spot, incredibly making them a team no one would want to face in October, especially if they keep their penchant continue. for late-inning heroics.
San Francisco endured a whirlwind of injuries and changing lineup cards, but the Giants emerged from a turbulent start to the season with perhaps the most valuable asset a baseball team can possess: the unshakable belief that no deficit is too big and no game is too far away is. from range to the 27th and the last zero is recorded.
The golden years of San Francisco’s dynasty were built on “torture,” and as things stand, you can count on another summer of nail-biting results.
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