San Francisco – Will Smith hit the game winner in extra innings that put the Dodgers on top with a 6-4 victory over the Giants. Nothing less than a spectacular game between two rival teams to kick off the three-game series.
Luis Matos gave San Francisco a chance in the second frame, he went yard to give the Giants a 3-1 lead. Matos has an opportunity to develop more since a few injuries have plagued the team.
His home run was enough breathing room before LA tied the game 3-3 in the sixth frame. Luke Jackson replaced Jordan Hicks, Jackson gave Max Muncy a free pass, then gave up a ground rule double to Gavin Lux who scored in Muncy who tied the game.
“I wasn’t looking for the curveball there, but I was ready to swing early,” Matos said in through his translator in Spanish. “I saw it hanging and managed to hit it out.
The swing has been there. I was trying to make some adjustments. I was also making good contact down in Triple-A, but I wasn’t having a lot of luck. But you always have to make adjustments and keep working hard to get better every day.”
San Francisco’s next opportunity came in the bottom of the sixth, Yoshinobu Yamamoto walked both Matt Chapman and LaMonte Wade Jr. Up next was Heliot Ramos who cleared the bases on a single to score in Chapman to make it a 4-3 game. But Enrique Hernandez homered on the first pitch, a 1-0 pitch to tie the game 4-4 top of the seventh inning.
Jordan Hicks lasted through 5 innings with seven hits, two runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts. He wanted to go longer but the bullpen came in top of the sixth. Unable to put up any runs through the next two frames, it came down to the ninth where the Giants errors cost proved costly. Blake Treinen walked Wilmer Flores to leadoff the frame, pinch-runner Tyler Fitzgerald replaced Flores. Attempting to steal second, Fitzgerald got picked off at first and thwarted San Francisco’s chances of getting on base.
Headed to extra innings, the new rule which allows both teams to start with a runner at second. Mookie Betts was chosen for that task, while Shohei Ohtani struck out swinging, Freddie Freeman got a free pass putting two runners on at second and first. Smith’s double scored in two runs to make it a 6-4 game.
J.P Feyereisen replaced Treinen bottom of the 10th. Luis Matos was at second, Brett Wisely struck out swinging and Mike Yastrzemski walked. Thairo Estrada grounded into a double play to end the game.
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