SAN FRANCISCO -- Scott Bandura got an early taste of the baseball limelight.
In 2014, Bandura played in the Little League World Series with Philadelphia’s Taney Dragons, who made a memorable run to the semifinals behind trailblazing pitcher Mo’ne Davis, the first girl to earn a win and throw a shutout in LLWS history.
Bandura was the Dragons’ leadoff hitter and catcher back then and still remembers the thrill of playing in front of a packed house at Williamsport, Penn.
“I led off that first game in Williamsport, being the hometown team,” Bandura said. “There were probably 35-40,000 people there, and I'm leading off the first game. I think once I was able to handle that at 12 or 13, it kind of calmed the nerves along the way.”
Twelve years later, Bandura got another chance to play in front of 35,000+ fans -- this time as a big leaguer. The 25-year-old outfielder made his Major League debut in the Giants’ 6-4 loss to the Padres on Sunday night at Oracle Park, going 1-for-3 while serving as the designated hitter.
A 2023 seventh-round Draft pick out of Princeton, Bandura looked composed in his return to the big stage with the Giants, who called him up from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday to replace the injured Rafael Devers.
Bandura struck out in his first two at-bats against Padres starter Nick Pivetta, but he picked up his first big league hit after legging out an infield single off lefty reliever Kyle Hart in the sixth. He came around to score on a two-out single by Christian Koss to cut the deficit to 6-4, but the Giants couldn’t add on from there, sealing a three-game sweep for San Diego.
“Just getting to be here, I think, is outstanding for him,” manager Tony Vitello said. “Just to say he’s been here, see what it looks like, be back with a lot of the guys he came up through the organization with and then get that first hit out of the way. He can tell his grandkids it was the hardest-hit line drive of all time, and he ended up scoring on it, too.”
Logan Webb took the loss after giving up six runs -- including a two-run home run by Manny Machado -- over five innings. The 29-year-old right-hander has now surrendered 23 earned runs over 21 2/3 innings (9.55 ERA) over his last five starts, causing his ERA to spike to 4.31 on the season. That’s his highest mark since he logged a 5.47 ERA as a 23-year-old rookie for the Giants in 2020.
Webb would be lined up to make two more starts before the end of the year, but Vitello acknowledged that the Giants will have discussions about potentially shutting down their homegrown ace, especially since he got an early start to the season by pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in March.
“I think it’s a conversation at this point,” Vitello said.
Webb said he planned to speak to Vitello before making his preference known.
Bandura became the 67th player to appear in a game for the Giants this season, setting a franchise record. He might not be the last, as the Giants are taking a look at a boatload of young players now that they’ve been officially eliminated from postseason contention.
Vitello said outfielder Bo Davidson, the Giants’ No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was also in the mix for a callup before he fouled a ball off his leg with Triple-A Sacramento last week. Davidson is considered day to day, so he could be still an option to join the team this month if he’s healthy.
Now that Devers is out for the season with a core muscle injury, the Giants are expected to cycle several outfielders through the DH spot, including the left-handed-hitting Bandura, who batted .320 with an .895 OPS, 13 home runs and 34 stolen bases in 131 games between Double-A Richmond and Sacramento this year.
“I was obviously happy with the way I was playing in Sacramento, but wasn't really expecting anything,” Bandura said. “Obviously, it’s where I want to be now, so it was great to hear the news.”
Bandura said he still keeps in touch with several of his former LLWS teammates, including Davis, who is playing for the Los Angeles Queens of the Women’s Pro Baseball League but could travel to St. Louis to watch the Giants’ next series against the Cardinals this week.
“I'm fortunate that a lot of the guys from that team and Mo’ne, we’re all still really close,” Bandura said. “We all stay in touch. I don't remember a whole lot from that summer, but it was a blast and unforgettable experience, for sure.”