Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Welcome to one of the biggest rivalries in all of major league baseball, Andrew McCutchen of the San Francisco Giants.

McCutchen hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the 14th inning, helping the Giants defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 before a sellout crowd of 42,302 at AT&T Park Saturday.

It was the sixth hit of the game for McCutchen, whose previous career high was five that he picked up on May 14, 2010, while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The three-run home run by McCutchen capped a 12-pitch at-bat against Wilmer Font to give the Giants a dramatic come-from-behind victory.

McCutchen was down 1-2 against Font and then fouled off seven consecutive pitches, and then on the 12th pitch of the at-bat he launched the pitch into the left-center field seats for the victory.

Kelby Tomlinson and Joe Panik each singled off of Font before McCutchen’s first home run as a member of the Giants.

“I was just trying to fight him off, fight him off, until I got comfortable enough to whatever he threw up there I was ready to hit,” McCutchen said. “He didn’t elevate it too much there, and I was able to elevate.”

It was a four-RBI game for McCutchen, who saw his batting average raise from .083 to .258.

“Finally showed up today. Finally,” McCutchen said. “It’s only what, Game 7, but when you’re not getting hits, it feels like it’s forever. Feels good to show up today and do the job.”

Buster Posey also hit his first home run of the season for the Giants, as they improved to 4-3 on the young season, while the reigning National League Champion Dodgers fell to 2-6 on the season, their worst start in 42 years.

The Giants led on three different occasions, as they led 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3; however, the Dodgers tied it up every time and took the lead for the only time in the top of the 14th inning.

Roberto Gomez pitched the 14th inning to pick-up his first major league win, as the Giants used all nine relievers.

The Dodgers took their only lead of the game in the top of the 14th, as Logan Forsythe drove in Yasiel Puig with a single.

After just the sixth rainout in the history of AT&T Park, and first since April 11, 2006, the two old rivals played a 14th inning, five hour 16-minute game that started at 3:05 (local time) and ended at 8:21 (local time).

Font was the last reliever for the Dodgers, as manager Dave Roberts used Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu as pinch hitters.

Chase Utley tied up the game in the top of the seventh inning, as he launched a pitch that landed on the arcade in right field. Utley’s double play mate, Corey Seager picked up two hits and reached five times and Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger also picked up two hits.

“We just came up short again,” Roberts said. “That’s five runs in 14 innings. You have to look at each at-bat and the quality needs to get better. There needs to be a better pitch-to-pitch focus.”

Chris Stratton pitched five innings for the Giants, as he gave up two runs and walked four in a no-decision.

Veteran Rich Hill gave up three runs on five hits, while walking just two and striking out six.

NOTES: Kershaw, who came up as a pinch hitter will start the brief two-game series finale on Sunday for the Dodgers. Ty Blach will take the mound for the Giants in a rematch for opening day at Dodger Stadium.

The Giants struck out 18 times against Dodgers, tied for the second most in team history. This was the second time in team history that they struck out 18 times in the same game.

They struck out 18 times on September 1, 1967 against the Cincinnati Reds, and it ties the most ever against the Dodgers, as the Dodgers also did to the Giants on August 31, 1959.

The San Diego Padres struck out 20 Giants on June 18, 2001.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Dodgers conclude the series Sunday afternoon at 1:05 pm PT.