SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants have had their share of improbable endings at Oracle Park this year, but Tuesday night’s might have been the wildest of all.
Patrick Bailey crushed a three-run, inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Giants to a stunning 4-3 walk-off win that clinched a series victory over the Phillies.
It was the first walk-off inside-the-park home run since Tyler Naquin hit one for Cleveland on Aug. 19, 2016, and the first for San Francisco since Angel Pagan did so on May 25, 2013. Bailey also became only the third catcher to accomplish the feat, joining the Washington Senators’ Bennie Tate (Aug. 11, 1926) and the Cubs’ Pat Moran (Aug. 4, 1907).
It was a breathtaking moment for Bailey -- literally.
“A lot’s got to go right for me to hit an inside-the-park homer,” Bailey said. “Tired. I wish it would have gone over the fence.”
The Phillies took a 3-1 lead after Kyle Schwarber launched a two-run homer into McCovey Cove in the seventh, but the Giants rallied behind Bailey’s unlikely round-tripper off Jordan Romano in the bottom of the ninth.
Casey Schmitt led off with a double, and Wilmer Flores added a single to put a pair of runners on for Bailey, who followed by lining a first-pitch fastball off the top of the wall in right-center field. The 414-foot, 103.4 mph shot would have cleared the fences at every other Major League ballpark, but Oracle Park’s quirks forced Bailey to turn on the jets rather than take a leisurely trot.
“Off the bat, I just knew I got it well,” Bailey said. “And then obviously, I saw it was towards Triples Alley. I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to go. I’ve got to at least get to third here.’ And then once I saw the bounce, I was like, ‘All right, just don’t fall over.’”
The drive ended up caroming past outfielders Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos and rolling out to the warning track in center field, allowing Bailey to round the bases and give the Giants their sixth win in their past seven games.
“You could play 100 more years here, and I don’t think a ball hits right there on that spot,” Marsh said.
“That was electric,” Schmitt said. “That was one of the craziest games I think I’ve ever played.”
Bailey went from home-to-home in 16.59 seconds, posting an average sprint speed of 27.4 feet per second on the unforgettable play, which sent the sellout crowd into a state of pandemonium.
“I think that was the fastest he’s ever run,” Schmitt said. “I think he runs pretty decently well, especially for a catcher. He was absolutely moving.”
After he raced across home plate, Bailey thrust his hands in the air and was immediately swarmed by his ecstatic Giants teammates, including Willy Adames, who ripped Bailey’s black City Connect jersey off his back as he lay on the ground trying to catch his breath.
Amazingly, Bailey wasn’t even the first Giant to deliver a walk-off homer that didn’t leave the yard this year; Heliot Ramos also hit a walk-off Little League homer against the Rangers on April 27.
Adames didn’t hesitate when asked which one was more memorable, though.
“Patrick,” Adames said. “It’s more epic.”
Bailey’s heroics certainly felt more unbelievable, especially since the 26-year-old backstop entered Tuesday batting only .188 with a .531 OPS, the third-lowest mark among Major League hitters who have taken at least 200 plate appearances in 2025. The inside-the-parker was only his second home run of the year and his first since May 21.
“I’m just trying to show up every day and get a little better,” Bailey said. “Do what I can to help the team win. Just thankful to be able to do that tonight.”
As Tuesday night showed, though, sometimes it only takes one good break to get you going.
“He has gotten some big hits this year, and in these big situations, he’s come through,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Not as much as he likes, but hopefully that’s something that catapults him. It was a really good swing. We haven’t seen him drive the ball like that in a while. But he was ready for it, and he got a good pitch to hit.”