SAN FRANCISCO -- Camilo Doval’s second act with the Giants is off to a good start.
Two days after returning to the organization via a waiver claim, Doval stepped back on the Oracle Park mound and showed a glimmer of his old All-Star form, striking out the side in the seventh inning of the Giants’ 4-3 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon.
Doval hadn’t pitched in a week after being designated for assignment by the Pirates on Tuesday, but he looked sharp in his first appearance for the Giants since July 30, 2025. He topped out at 99.5 mph with his cutter and used his trusty slider to punch out the top of the Dodgers’ order: Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and pinch-hitter Dalton Rushing. Betts and Rushing struck out looking thanks to a pair of successful ABS challenges from catcher Andrew Knizner.
After completing his dominant 16-pitch outing, Doval walked off the field to a warm ovation from the announced crowd of 40,124.
“There’s nothing like being at home,” Doval said afterward in Spanish. “It’s the best thing that can happen to someone. I feel really good and super happy to be here.”
Doval spent the first five seasons of his Major League career with the Giants before being shipped to the Yankees in exchange for prospects Jesus Rodriguez, Parks Harber, Trystan Vrieling and Carlos De La Rosa at last year’s Trade Deadline. He was then flipped to the Pirates last month before surprisingly reuniting with the Giants on Thursday.
Doval said his time away from the organization gave him a newfound perspective that he hopes will allow him to return to the heights he enjoyed with the Giants in 2023, when he earned his first career All-Star nod after recording 2.93 ERA with a National League-high-tying 39 saves in 69 appearances.
“I’ve realized that you always have to be yourself,” said Doval, who had a 4.30 ERA in 64 outings between New York and Pittsburgh this year. “You have to try not to change. Sometimes you want to do something different and you change the way you pitch. That’s when problems arise because you start to be inconsistent. That’s what happened with me.”
Doval now wears No. 57 for San Francisco -- the mirror image of his old No. 75 -- but he’ll end the season associated with another notable number. The 29-year-old right-hander became the 71st player to appear in a game for the Giants this season, tying the Major League record set by the 2025 Braves.
(The Giants could still add one more name to their ledger if they activate catcher Zach Morgan off the taxi squad for Sunday’s season finale at Oracle Park. Morgan has been called up from Triple-A Sacramento twice this season but has yet to make his big league debut.)
The Giants came back to tie the game after Drew Cavanaugh delivered an RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh and Bo Davidson added a sacrifice fly in the eighth, but the Dodgers pulled ahead for good on Kiké Hernández’s decisive solo shot off Trent Harris in the ninth.
The Giants (65-96) have now lost seven straight games to the Dodgers, assuring that they’ll finish the 2026 campaign at least 30 games below .500 for the first time since 2017.
The bullpen figures to be a major point of emphasis for the Giants as they attempt to turn things around heading into next season. They’ll have a fascinating decision looming with Doval, who is eligible for arbitration and will likely be due a raise from the $6.1 million he earned in 2026.
The Pirates may have decided to let him go because they viewed him as a non-tender candidate this offseason, but Doval could be a good fit for the Giants, who have had a dearth of lockdown relievers on their roster this year. Doval has made it clear that he would love to spend the rest of his career in the orange and black and feels he can continue to build on Saturday’s electric appearance heading into 2027.
“I know who I am and the talent that I have,” Doval said. “I just need to do what I always do.”
"If you're asking me, I'm all for anybody that can help us win," manager Tony Vitello said. “He looked like he can help us win."
Staying in San Francisco would come with another perk for Doval, as he’d be able to team back up with his buddy Randy Rodríguez, a fellow All-Star reliever who is expected to complete his rehab from Tommy John surgery next year.
“That would be tremendous,” Doval said. “We get along really well. We love the adrenaline and just enjoy the game.”