{"id":7812,"date":"2026-08-26T23:06:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T23:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7812"},"modified":"2026-08-26T23:06:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T23:06:51","slug":"sf-giants-meltdown-in-ninth-blow-six-run-lead-and-fail-to-complete-seasons-first-three-game-sweep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7812","title":{"rendered":"SF Giants meltdown in ninth, blow six-run lead and fail to complete season’s first three-game sweep"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 It was a day that started with anger. It was a day that ended with agony.<\/p>\n

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Tony Vitello didn\u2019t get through the top of the first before being told to scram, thrown out by home plate umpire Ryan Blakney for arguing a check-swing call. Already ejected, Vitello exploded. The f-bombs flew left and right. On the verge of their first three-game sweep of the year, Vitello\u2019s expedited return to the clubhouse was an awful omen.<\/p>\n

Yet from the confines of his office, Vitello saw his team come three outs away from breaking out the brooms. He saw Logan Webb\u2019s six innings of two-run ball. He saw Rafael Devers\u2019 third home run in the last three games, the 111th Splash Hit in Oracle Park history. He saw Shay Whitcomb\u2019s two-run homer and Drew Gilbert\u2019s pinch-hit, three-run double.<\/p>\n

Above all, he saw the collapse. He saw a complete and total meltdown, his bullpen blowing a six-run lead and allowing seven runs in the ninth. In a season full of lows, the Giants\u2019 10-9 loss on Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park might be the nadir.<\/p>\n

The Giants entered the ninth inning with a very comfortable 9-3 lead, needing just three outs to complete the sweep. Spencer Bivens, who pitched a scoreless eighth, was sent out for the ninth. He didn\u2019t record a single out.<\/p>\n

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H\u00e9ctor Rodr\u00edguez, who already homered in the third, hit a tank into McCovey Cove, trimming San Francisco\u2019s lead to 9-4. Elly De La Cruz followed with a single, and Bivens walked the next two batters to load the bases. Bench coach Jayce Tingler, acting as the manager following Vitello\u2019s ejection, called on Dylan Smith. Still, the fire raged.<\/p>\n

Eugenio Su\u00e1rez, the first hitter Smith faced, hit a grand slam. 9-8. Dane Myers reached first on a bunt single, then reached second on a throwing error by third baseman Buddy Kennedy. Matt McLain beat out his own bunt single, then stole second. Jose Trevino provided the equalizer with a sacrifice fly, then Tyler Stephenson completed the meltdown with an RBI single. The 9-3 lead was gone; only a 10-9 deficit remained.<\/p>\n

The Giants got the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth when Turner Hill snuck a single into right field with one out, but he wouldn\u2019t advance past first base. Emilio Pag\u00e1n shut the door, and boos filled Oracle Park as the Reds celebrated their victory.<\/p>\n

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\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rafael Devers’ 29th home run of the season was Splash Hit No. 111<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nSF Giants meltdown in ninth, blow six-run lead and fail to complete season’s first three-game sweep - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7812\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SF Giants meltdown in ninth, blow six-run lead and fail to complete season’s first three-game sweep - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rafael Devers' 29th home run of the season was Splash Hit No. 111\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7812\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-26T23:06:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7812#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7812\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"SF Giants meltdown in ninth, blow six-run lead and fail to complete season’s first three-game sweep\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-26T23:06:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7812\"},\"wordCount\":475,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7812#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/cbb13818bd173103508df221d9b819c2-scaled.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7812#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7812\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7812\",\"name\":\"SF Giants meltdown in ninth, blow six-run lead and fail to complete season’s first three-game sweep - 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