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Before we get to anything else, let me just say the following: I sincerely hope that I never again in my life have to witness the San Francisco Giants getting walked off in the seventh inning while playing at home.
I don’t say that as an excuse or to be a sore loser. I say this as a reminder that baseball in 2020 is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. And while it’s been a thrilling ride, I hope it’s unlike anything we ever see again.
Well damn, I’m only 85 words in. I really thought that if I could get to 400 or 500 words without talking about the game, then I could just wrap it up without anyone noticing.
But no. I have to talk about the game. I don’t want to talk about the game, but I have to talk about the game.
Except I don’t have anything to say about the game, because only three things happened.
The first thing that happened was the Giants fell behind the San Diego Padres 3-1, with Jeff Samardzija’s attempt at a heroic return falling a bit flat. You did not think the Giants had much of a chance.
The second thing that happened was Wilmer Flores hit a go-ahead, 3-run, 2-out home run in the sixth inning, which is basically the eighth inning in a doubleheader, and you wanted to pick Flores up, place him on a throne, carry him around town like a king, and maybe rename your kid after him.
I'll be there for you
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 26, 2020
...IN THE CLUTCH! #OrangeFriday pic.twitter.com/BWT1Ii1dL0
And those were the two things that happened.
Oh, sorry, did I say three things happened? Nope, just two things. Just those two things.
OK fine a third thing happened, which was that Sam Coonrod came in for the save and gave up an infield single, a walk, and a walk-off 3-run home run over the arcade that made most of us die inside and sent us searching through our album collections to find our Joni Mitchell albums so we can listen to them all night long while looking through old photo albums and reminiscing over what once was while thinking about how those days are lost and we’re never getting them back.
And that was this dumbass game.
The Giants moved to 29-29, on a day when the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers both fell to 28-30.
They still control their fate. If they win on Saturday and Sunday, they’re in the postseason. If they win one of their remaining two games and the Phillies and Brewers each lose a game, they’re in.
Their resilience is about to be tested. Time to find out what the Giants have got.