SAN FRANCISCO – Patrick Bailey’s entrance into the Major League Baseball record books on Tuesday night began with a tight swing that sent a fastball from Phillies reliever Jordan Romano into Triples Alley.
It ended with Bailey chugging his way around third base then getting mobbed at home plate by his teammates after becoming the third catcher in major league history to hit a game-ending, inside-the-park home run.
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The three-run shot had an exit velocity of 103.4 mph and bounced off the brick wall at the Giants waterfront ballpark. It ricocheted back toward center field as Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh gave chase.
Bailey said his initial thought was to get a triple before he saw third base coach Matt Williams waving him in.
“Off the ball I just knew I got it well,” Bailey said. “I saw it was towards Triples Alley and I was like, ‘Oh I gotta go. I at least gotta get to third.’ Once I saw the bounce, I was like ‘All right, just don’t fall over.’ ”
It’s the ninth time this season that the Giants have won in their final at-bat, tops in the majors.
It was also the first time in nearly nine years that a player has hit a walk-off, inside-the-park home run in the majors. Cleveland’s Tyler Naquin was the last to do so on Aug. 19, 2016.
The three-run home run lifted the Giants to a 4-3 victory that had the Oracle Park crowd roaring as Bailey crossed the plate.
“He has gotten some big hits this year,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “In big situations he’s come through. Not as much as he would like. Hopefully that’s something that catapults him. Haven’t seen him drive a ball like that in a while.”
Bailey couldn’t recall if he had previously hit an inside-the-park home run at any level. And as nice as this one was, Bailey said that he would have preferred to hit a regular home run.
“Tired,” Bailey said when asked how he felt. “I wished it would have gone over the fence.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB