Giants’ “infectious” comebacks define the team’s identity

Giants' 'contagious' comebacks are beginning to define the team's identity. Originally published on NBC Sports Bay Area

Just when it seemed like the Giants' late-inning heroics had run their course, LaMonte Wade Jr. rudely reminded that the magic bubbling in San Francisco's locker room isn't going away anytime soon.

Wade's RBI hit in the ninth inning opened the door for the Giants to another improbable victory – their fourth in a row after trailing in each game entering the eighth inning.

Mike Yastrzemski's base-clearing triple in the tenth inning capped San Francisco's 7-2 win over the New York Mets on Saturday, sending a large portion of the home fans remaining in the stands at Citi Field heading for the exits as the Giants pulled one back from the brink of victory.

After Saturday's win, manager Bob Melvin explained how much emphasis San Francisco places on fighting to the last out and acknowledged that the Giants' current road trip is characterized by an exciting game.

“We talk about it every day, it's the 27th out,” Melvin told reporters. “Until then, every hit in the first is just as important as the ninth, and we seem to have a little sense of the dramatic here lately.”

The San Francisco captain acknowledged the importance of Wade's tying hit in the ninth inning and described the confidence that reigned throughout the team's bench after this week's series of comeback wins.

“Well, you know a big hit can get you rattled, and Wade comes off the bench, who wasn't even supposed to play today except to bat, and lands another big hit like he normally does,” Melvin explained. “After that, once we tied the game, we had a really good feeling that we were going to win the game based on what's happened the last few days.”

A late-game comeback is a cause for celebration. Two consecutive wins could be a fluke. But four games in a row? It's a pattern, and one that didn't surprise Melvin, given the attitude his team displays when trailing late in the game.

“Very contagious,” Melvin said of San Francisco's comeback streak. “We came back [from] numbers bigger than one, so it only takes one big hit to score a run. But the thing is, towards the end of the games, you sit in the dugout and say, “Here we go again.”

Jordan Hicks has been dynamite for the Giants since signing a four-year deal with San Francisco in the offseason, and he delivered another impressive performance on the mound in Saturday's win. Allowing just one run in five innings against the Mets, Hicks remained upbeat despite the no-decision, beaming with pride and describing the never-give-up identity the Giants have cultivated.

“At least for me, I feel like I never gave up hope. I feel like the belief is there,” Hicks said. “In this game, you're only down one point, but like the previous games, you come back on the first one and you're like, 'Okay, we just did that.' And then the second one. And then you're like, 'Okay, I guess we're going to bounce back every time we're behind.' That's a good identity. It's just a good feeling to win.”

According to Sportradar, San Francisco's string of unforgettable comeback victories this week marks the only time since 1901 that the Giants have won four straight games despite trailing after seven innings in each game. No other MLB team has accomplished this feat since the Washington Nationals in 2006.

The Giants won four games in a row, making it four consecutive comeback wins away from home for the first time since 1997.

With Saturday's win, the Giants are now above .500 for the first time since March 30 – their third game of the 2024 MLB season – and move San Francisco into the third NL wild-card spot, half a game ahead of their division rival San Diego Padres.

While there is still room for one final chapter when the Giants conclude their six-game road trip against the Mets on Sunday, San Francisco's unwavering determination and resilience made for an incredible week of baseball that will be remembered fondly for generations to come and perhaps laid the foundation for an unforgettable summer.

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