Wood retired Tim Anderson on a lineout to third base, induced a groundout from Yoán Moncada and struck out José Abreu looking on a 92 mph fastball to cap his efficient, 10-pitch outing.
“I like quick,” Wood said during a Zoom call with reporters. “It was a great first outing. ... I think getting your feet wet, having a successful, healthy first outing is good mentally as well as physically. I was happy with my stuff. I still get nerves going out there, even for my first start of spring -- especially on the new team -- but I felt great.”
Wood, who joined the Giants on a one-year, $3 million deal this offseason, said he slightly raised his posture to help improve the depth of his slider and has been pleased with the results thus far. He’s also experimenting with a new grip for his changeup, though he doesn’t plan to debut the pitch until he pitches multiple innings in his next Cactus League outing.
“I’m still playing with it a little bit now,” Wood said. “I feel good with it. When you start playing with new grips, it’s just totally different than when you can take your time and get the exact grip you want in a bullpen as compared to the game. It’s still a little bit of a work in progress as far as the feel with it in the game.
“It’s been a good pitch so far this spring profile-wise,” Wood said, “and now it’s just kind of locking in that command aspect of it and getting used to throwing it in the game.”
Wood, 30, was the first projected member of the Giants’ rotation to see Cactus League action this spring, as the club is trying to ease its pitchers back into game action. Johnny Cueto is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut against the Royals at Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday, and fellow right-handers Kevin Gausman and Anthony DeSclafani are likely to follow in the coming days.
The newest member of the rotation, Aaron Sanchez, also threw a live batting practice session in the backfields on Thursday and enjoyed a “perfect first time out,” per manager Gabe Kapler.
“There are some adjustments to make, and we look forward to him making those, but he got through it clean,” Kapler said. “Fist bumps all around.”
More debuts
• Brandon Crawford played four innings at shortstop and went 1-for-2 with a single in his first start of the spring on Thursday. Crawford’s wife, Jalynne, and their four kids were among the limited fans in the stands, marking the family’s first live baseball game in over a year.
“I think everybody probably heard my kids here at the game today,” Crawford said, laughing. “I enjoyed it a little bit. I was able to say hi to them mid-game, which is a little different. But it was definitely nice for them to get back out and watch a game.”
• Left-hander Jake McGee replaced Wood in the second and posted a perfect inning in his Giants debut. McGee struck out Eloy Jiménez swinging, induced a groundout from Andrew Vaughn and coaxed a flyout from Leury García in his efficient outing. The 34-year-old veteran is known for his fastball, which he threw 96.4 percent of the time in 2020, but he said he was happy with his ability to land his slider for a strike on Thursday.
“I feel like I’m going to mix it in more if I can throw it for a first pitch against a righty and steal a strike because they’re obviously looking for a fastball,” McGee said. “As long as my fastball is moving the right way after I throw my slider, I’m going to mix in my slider a little more against righties and lefties. The big thing is to make sure the metrics are good on the next fastball I throw.”
McGee is viewed as a strong candidate to serve as the Giants’ closer after signing a two-year deal with the club on Feb. 17.
• The Giants also got their first look at non-roster invitee Shun Yamaguchi, who gave up back-to-back, two-out singles to Jonathan Lucroy and Adam Engel but managed to post a scoreless fifth with the help of a nice catch from left fielder Luis Alexander Basabe, who snagged a hard-hit liner off the bat of Anderson to end the inning.
Injury updates
• First baseman Brandon Belt, who has missed the beginning of camp due to a “non-COVID illness,” resumed baseball activities on Wednesday and has been throwing and taking swings in the batting cage.
“We’re still pushing towards trying to get Brandon ready for Opening Day,” Kapler said. “There’s not much of a rush right now. We’re still pretty early in March. Today was promising.”
• Outfielder Jaylin Davis is dealing with knee soreness and has yet to appear in a Cactus League game, but Kapler said he’s hoping to pencil Davis into the Giants’ lineup in the next couple of days.
Worth noting
• Joe McCarthy and Darin Ruf took White Sox righty Connor Sadzeck deep in the fifth inning to give the Giants their first home runs of the spring. McCarthy put the Giants on the board with a solo shot to right-center field, and Ruf followed with a two-run homer to left.
• Outfield prospect Heliot Ramos replaced Mike Yastrzemski in right field in the fifth and finished 2-for-2 with two singles.
Up next
The Giants will head to Peoria to face the Padres on Friday night at 5:40 p.m. PT. Left-hander Conner Menez will make his second Cactus League appearance and start opposite San Diego right-hander Joe Musgrove. Curt Casali is slated to start behind the plate in his Giants debut.