Chapman’s heroic defensive effort seals another Giants comeback victory originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Matt Chapman has earned a reputation as the most accomplished defensive third baseman in Major League Baseball, but his masterpiece could have been a game-winning play in the exciting Giants game. Comeback victory 8-7 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 Vientos stepped into the batter’s box facing a 3-2 count with two outs and the bases loaded. Vientos hit a slow roller down the third base line, briefly appearing to place the ball where a corner infielder normally couldn’t charge up and make a play. The question? Chapman is not your typical third baseman.
Chapman took a bare-handed shot that was impressively scooped off the ground by first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr.narrowly beating Vientos in the bag and giving the Giants their third consecutive come-from-behind victory after San Francisco lost by at least four runs in each game.
After the exciting win, Chapman revealed that his ninth-inning heroics are the most excited he’s ever been after making a defensive play on the diamond.
“I think that’s the most excited I’ve ever felt after a play,” Chapman told reporters. “Obviously the situation and how these last four games have gone, they’ve been crazy games. To be able to have a defensive come-out play like that, with the bases loaded, the game on the line, I don’t think it’s probably the best, without a doubt.” . I was even a little surprised. “It was a lot of fun and I’m glad I got that win.”
The All-Star third baseman detailed his thought process as he carried the ball, revealing the life-or-death nature of his attempt.
“The ball misses and then the third base guy keeps running and we lose, or we throw the ball away,” Chapman explained. “But I think at that moment I believed I could make the play. In my head I thought, ‘Well, we either win this game or we lose it right here.'”
While Chapman’s supreme self-confidence ultimately won the game for the Giants, manager Bob Melvin shared that he didn’t believe his third baseman had a chance to make a play on the ball.
“That’s a ball you just hope goes wrong, it’s not a ball you make a play on,” Melvin told reporters after Friday’s win. “So at some point he has to find out if he has a chance, and I didn’t think he had a chance. And I’ve seen him make every play he’s made.”
Melvin also made sure to emphasize Wade Jr.’s contribution to the final play of the game, highlighting the difficulty of cleanly getting that ball out of the ground to record the final out.
“Fantastic both ways,” Melvin said. “It’s a life or death play. You reach so far to pick up that ball and he passes it to you, it’s a loss.”
Chapman certainly has led the charge during San Francisco’s recent hot streak, but he was also quick to praise Wade Jr.’s role in the spectacular defensive play they put together.
“Unbelievable,” Chapman said of Wade’s effort on the play. “That could have easily come out of his glove (and) we lost. He held on and made a good choice and stayed on base. That play doesn’t happen without him.”
Catcher Patrick Bailey appeared to be on his way to accomplishing what he undoubtedly would do It was the most exciting play of the game, throwing a lead grand slam 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 electricity on its own, the Giants catcher was quick to praise the defensive efforts of Chapman and Wade Jr. following Friday’s win.
“My God, that was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen on a baseball field, what (Chapman) did in that situation, on that play,” Bailey said on “Giants Postgame Live.” “Then on the other side, LaMonte made that choice. I mean, it was a big victory.”
“My God, that was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen made on a baseball field…”
Bailey is amazed at how Chapman and Wade Jr. concluded the Giants’ victory tonight. pic.twitter.com/BGKrwUGX2S
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 25, 2024
The improbable victory moved the Giants to .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 hot streak that has been sparked by the offense more than the pitching that had carried the team through the early stretch of the season.
The Giants are averaging more than seven runs per game over their last eight games, which begs the question: What will this team be like if they are able to synchronize this high-octane offensive production with the quality pitching that carried them to the start of the season? Campaign?
Don’t look now, but the never-say-die Giants are just 1/2 game out of the NL’s third wild card, incredibly becoming a team no one would want to face in October, particularly if they continue their tilt. for late-inning heroics.
San Francisco weathered a whirlwind of injuries and roster turnover, but the Giants emerged from a turbulent start to the season with perhaps the most valuable asset a baseball team can possess: the unwavering belief that no deficit is too great and no game is too big. He is lost. reach until the 27th and the final out is recorded.
The golden years of the San Francisco dynasty were built on “torture” and, the way things are going, another summer of exciting finishes can be counted on.