SAN FRANCISCO -- At long last, the Giants managed to pull off their first three-game sweep of the season -- and they finished it without Rafael Devers, to boot.
On the same day that the red-hot Devers received his first day off of the season, the Giants erupted for six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to erase a five-run deficit and rally for an improbable 7-6 win over the Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park.
“It’s hard to describe what went on,” manager Tony Vitello said. “It kind of came together in one inning, but whether it looked like it or not in the dugout, the guys were positive. They were still in the fight. Fortunately, the gates kind of opened at one point.”
The Giants entered Wednesday as the only team in the Majors without a three-game sweep this year, but they finally got to bust out the brooms on their 147nd game of the season. (San Francisco also went 3-0 against the Braves at Truist Field, but that series wasn’t considered an official three-game sweep since the finale was postponed from June to August due to rain.)
The elusive achievement was even more incredible considering the Giants deployed a patchwork lineup that featured four rookies (Turner Hill, Bryce Eldridge, Jonah Cox and Drew Cavanaugh) and only one player who started on Opening Day (Jung Hoo Lee).
“I think the young guys just bring a lot of energy,” third baseman Shay Whitcomb said. “I think you’ve seen that even in our losses the last couple weeks. We’ve been fighting until the very end. It’s been really fun to have such a hungry group.”
The band of youngsters had their work cut out for them after the Cardinals knocked rookie right-hander Blade Tidwell out of the game in the fifth and took advantage of multiple errors to build a 6-1 lead by the next inning. But they showed their burgeoning resilience by coming alive late against St. Louis relievers Cade Winquest and George Soriano in the bottom of the eighth.
Cavanaugh led off with a single, Brett Harris reached on a hit-by-pitch and Hill walked to load the bases with two outs for Eldridge, who bounced a two-run single to center field to cut the deficit to 6-3.
Cox then kept the rally going by legging out an infield single, allowing Hill to score from third. Lee came close to pulling a go-ahead, three-run homer down the right-field line, but his long drive ended up going just foul. He ended up delivering on the very next pitch, though, ripping a two-run double off the arcade wall to tie the game at 6.
Vitello had Devers on the bench as a possible pinch-hit option, but he wanted to give the 29-year-old slugger a full day of rest after he played in 309 consecutive games dating back to his time with the Red Sox. He decided to leave Whitcomb in to face Soriano and instantly saw his faith rewarded when Whitcomb drove a first-pitch fastball to center field for a go-ahead double that gave the Giants their first lead since the first inning.
“I was looking for [infield coach Ron Washington] when Shay came up,” Vitello said. “I went to say, ‘This kid deserves a hit.’ He was playing his [butt] off today. He’s been doing that a lot, but today in particular. It worked out for him. It was a pretty great swing.”
It was the second big hit of the series for Whitcomb, who also collected a walk-off single in the Giants’ 5-4, 11-inning win over the Cardinals on Monday night.
Whitcomb said it was extra special to be able to drive in Lee, as the two played together for Team Korea during the World Baseball Classic earlier this year.
“I was looking forward to that, playing with him again, for a long time,” Whitcomb said. “When I came over here, that was the first thing on my mind. I was like, ‘I get to play with Jung Hoo again.’ Obviously, he’s really talented, and I learn a lot from just watching him play. I’m really happy that we can reunite and even have it be more special having back-to-back hits today.”
Two rookie pitchers also recorded big milestones for the Giants on Wednesday. Left-hander Matt Wilkinson earned his first career win after working two scoreless innings in relief, and right-hander Trent Harris picked up his first career save after facing the minimum in the ninth.
Harris became the 12th different Giants pitcher to record a save this season, which is the most in franchise history since saves became an official stat in 1969.
“It’s good for him to be in that spot,” Vitello said. “The composure and the mentality was outstanding.”