SF Giants rally from five-run deficit, beat Reds with walk-off Splash Hit from Yastrzemski

SAN FRANCISCO – Midway through the last game of a six-game homestand Wednesday, the Giants seemed primed to fade into oblivion.

Instead, the Giants rallied from a five-run deficit to the delight of an announced crowd of 35,186 at Oracle Park to eventually tie the game in the eighth inning and win it 8-6 in the 10th. Mike Yastrzemski won it with a two-run home run in the 10th against Emilio Pagan that landed in McCovey Cove.

It came on the first pitch he saw, with free runner Matt Chapman on base.

“Just wanted to keep this flight happy, you know,” Yastrzemski said after the Giants’ third walk-off win in six games. “Keep everybody going in the right direction.”

After a day off, the Giants begin a 10-game, three-city road trip to New York, Philadelphia and Anaheim, with the Yankees up first Friday night.

Wilmer Flores tied the game with a solo home run leading off the eighth inning against Tony Santillan. The Giants scored one in the fourth inning and four in the sixth after losing the two previous games to the Reds by scores of 1-0 and 2-0.

Those games came after a three-game sweep of Seattle, including two walk-offs.

“You sweep a series in dramatic fashion, then you go ahead and lose three games,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “It’s not a terribly good feeling. So it went from what could have been a rough period to one that we feel really good about.”

San Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski #5 hits a two-run walk-off home run in the tenth inning of their MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

It was the fifth homer for Flores, one more than he had all of last season. Yastrzemski’s home run was his second.

Erik Miller (1-0) was the winning pitcher for the Giants, pitching a scoreless 10th. The Giants are 9-3, with the Reds falling to 5-8.

Center fielder Jung Hoo Lee finished 3-for-5 with a double and a triple and Flores was 3-for-4.

Trailing by five runs, the Giants rallied within 6-5 in the sixth with one run scoring on a wild pitch and three more coming in on four consecutive two-out hits — a double by Yastrzemski, a single by Flores, a triple by Patrick Bailey and a single by Tyler Fitzgerald.

It was at that point, Melvin said, “I felt like we were going to win the game.”

“That was a huge inning, getting extended four times with two outs,” Yastrzemski said. “To have that kind of fight and drive is huge.”

Cincinnati starter Nick Martinez was replaced by Taylor Rogers before Bailey’s triple, and he finished giving up four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Jane Tyska/Bay Area News GroupGiants starting pitcher Justin Verlander had a rough third inning but pitched into the sixth Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds.

Giants starter Justin Verlander had one bad inning in the third when the Reds scored five times but he ended up pitching into the sixth, giving up five hits with three walks and nine strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

In the first two innings, the 42-year-old right-hander looked like the Verlander of old, rather than an old Verlander. He threw 20 pitches, 18 of them strikes, and struck out the side in the second. It was a welcome sight, coming as it did after a 2 1/3-inning struggle against Seattle in which he gave up three earned runs and threw 65 pitches.

Things changed dramatically in the third. No. 8 hitter Jake Fraley walked, and Austin Wynns drove a single past Chapman at third base. Chapman had his hand checked after scraping it on the dirt and stayed in the game.

TJ Friedl, the five-year veteran from Pleasanton’s Foothill High, doubled off the right field fence for the first Cincinnati run. After Santiago Espinal’s infield single, Elly De La Cruz doubled down the right field line on a bouncer that ticked off the glove of leaping first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and Cincinnati led 3-0.

Gavin Lux was next, and with the infield in, he drove a single just under the glove of Fitzgerald at second base. It was scored a hit, and drove in two more runs for a 5-0 Reds lead.

Verlander then struck out Will Benson and got Spencer Steer on a popup. But by then he’d faced eight batters, given up five hits, five runs and thrown 34 pitches in the inning.

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin and third baseman Matt Chapman #26 watch from the dugout in the first inning of their game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Melvin chalked it up to Verlander being “unlucky,” lamenting the seeing-eye grounders as well as Friedl’s hit that left the bat at just 91 miles per hour. Verlander didn’t entirely agree, but said that in terms of his pitches having velocity and life, “It’s the best I’ve felt since 2022. Not even close.”

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What Verlander did do was pitch into the sixth after the rocky inning — the Reds had just one hit other than the five in the third — so Melvin could set up his bullpen down the stretch.

“It allowed the rest of the game to be covered by the key guys in the back of the bullpen,” Melvin said.

Lou Trivino, Randy Rodriguez, Tyler Rogers and Ryan Walker shut down the Reds until Miller pitched the 10th.

The Giants broke an 18-inning scoreless streak in the fourth on Lee’s triple to right with no outs. It brought home Willy Adames, who walked.

NOTES

— The Giants had two runners cut down at the plate, with De La Cruz throwing out Flores on a ground ball to deep short in the fifth and Lee getting thrown out on a comebacker to Martinez in the fourth.

— Yastrzemski’s splash hit was the first by a Giant this season and the sixth walk-off hit of his career. Five of those have come on home runs.

— Lee’s seven doubles lead the majors and the triple was the first of his career.

San Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski #5 is greeted at the plate after hitting a two-run walk-off home run in the tenth inning of their game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski #5 celebrates after hitting a two-run walk-off home run in the tenth inning of their MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski #5 is congratulated by coaches and teammates after hitting a two-run walk-off home run in the tenth inning of their MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Erik Miller #68 throws against the Cincinnati Reds in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores #41 celebrates his solo home run off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Tony Santillan #64 with catcher Patrick Bailey #14 in the eighth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)Cincinnati Reds’ Elly De La Cruz #44 gets back to the bag as San Francisco Giants first baseman Casey Schmitt #10 takes the throw on a pickoff attempt in the seventh inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee #51 is safe at second base after hitting a double as Cincinnati Reds’ Elly De La Cruz #44 puts on the tag in the seventh inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants’ Patrick Bailey #14 hits an RBI triple off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Taylor Rogers #55 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores #41 scores past Cincinnati Reds catcher Austin Wynns #38 on an RBI triple by Patrick Bailey #14 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Lou Trivino #56 throws against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman #26 can’t get to a foul ball in the sixth inning of their MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Justin Verlander #35 is taken out by manager Bob Melvin #6 in the sixth inning of their MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames #2 makes a throwing error to second base as Cincinnati Reds’ Gavin Lux #2 is safe in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants’ Willy Adames #2 scores past Cincinnati Reds catcher Austin Wynns #38 after Jung Hoo Lee #51 hit an RBI triple in the fourth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee #51 hits an RBI triple off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Martinez #28 in the fourth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee #51 talks with third base coach Matt Williams #9 after hiting an RBI triple in the fourth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Martinez #28 throws against the San Francisco Giants in the second inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants’ Tyler Fitzgerald #49 is safe at second as Casey Schmitt #10 reaches first base on a throwing error by Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz #44 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. To the right is Cincinnati Reds second baseman Gavin Lux #2. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants’ Patrick Bailey #14 scores on an RBI single by Tyler Fitzgerald #49 in the sixth inning of their MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald #49 is late with the tag as Cincinnati Reds’ Gavin Lux #2 slides safely into the bag after a throwing error by shortstop Willy Adames #2 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)Cincinnati Reds’ Gavin Lux #2 hits a two-run RBI single off San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Justin Verlander #35 in the third inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin #6 and Wilmer Flores #41 debate a strike call with umpire Brennan Miller #55 in the third inning of their MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)Cincinnati Reds’ Elly De La Cruz #44 scores past San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey #14 after Gavin Lux #2 hit a two-run RBI single off San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Justin Verlander #35 in the third inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)Cincinnati Reds’ Elly De La Cruz #44 celebrates with Santiago Espinal #4 after Gavin Lux #2 hit a two-run RBI single off San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Justin Verlander #35 in the third inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)A man sports a mohawk before the San Francisco Giants MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)Show Caption1 of 25San Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski #5 is greeted at the plate after hitting a two-run walk-off home run in the tenth inning of their game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)Expand