Sacramento A’s Jacob Wilson (5) leaps but is tagged out on the leg by San Francisco Giants catcher Eric Hasse (left) while plate umpire Ramon De Jesus (18) prepares to make the call at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Jun 24, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Lincoln Juarez
SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants’ two homers in the ninth to tie and win the game earned them their 25th walk-off win since the start of the 2024 season, which is second-most in MLB over that span. Tyler Mahle came off the IL in unambiguous fashion to set the tone for a 2-1 pitchers’ duel.
Amid the disappointment and anguish surrounding the San Francisco Giants this final week of June with the team sitting 14 games under .500, there was a baseball game to be played at the corner of Third and King and an opportunity for the Orange and Black to win just their third series of the month. Despite fans lashing back at the organization, a large crowd of 37,526 settled in for game two between the A’s and the Giants.
In his first major league start since May 26th, in a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tyler Mahle toed the rubber after rehabbing from a left hamstring strain. The Giants didn’t expect anything like Robbie Ray’s eight innings of one-run ball on Tuesday night and would’ve been content with three-to-four innings from Mahle. The right-hander exceeded expectations while on a 75-max pitch count and got one out shy of making it through six, shut-out innings. He only allowed two hits while striking out four through 5.2 innings.
“He sure made it hard on the coaching staff…I didn’t think we were going to get there to that spot, to where his pitch count was 75 and you get to Kurtz… he was phenomenal,” said Vitello. “I’ve seen this before, and this is more of a conspiracy theory out of me, I’ve seen that pitch count thing bring out the best in pitchers… every pitcher wants to stay out there as long as possible… he was just really really efficient and he attacked like crazy.”
The Giants’ manager couldn’t have asked for much more from the 31 year-old whose only win this season came at home. He wouldn’t qualify for Wednesday’s win as he left the ballgame with a 0-0 score but still felt satisfied with his return from the IL.
“I just felt good, I was working well with Haase back there, defense made some outstanding plays… I was making good pitches and Haase was calling some good pitches.”
The defense described by Mahle came from all over the field with a L4, E4, 7-2 put-out all in one play to keep the game scoreless with Victor Bericoto completing the odd put-out with a bullet of a throw from left field to nail Jacob Wilson at home. Jung Hoo Lee continued to make his All-Star bid with spectacular defense in right field as he made two incredible catches on his way to a collision with the wall, once in the fourth and again in the ninth to keep the Giants within a run.
Left-hander Sam Hentges came in and finished the sixth inning for Mahle recording the final out on just one pitch. The Giants’ bullpen threw a combined 3.1 innings with three strikeouts while allowing a lone hit which was a Max Muncy homer (5) in the eighth.
After being shut-out through the first eight innings by A’s starter Gage Jump (5.0 IP, 3H, BB, 9K) and members of the Athletics’ bullpen, Rafeal Devers stepped up to lead off the bottom of the ninth with the Giants trailing by one. Devers has been a hot name thrown around in the media since Sunday’s game in Miami where most took his childish plea to stay out on the bases in a one-run game in the ninth inning as a sign of disrespect toward Tony Vitello and the rest of the San Francisco coaching staff.
Devers didn’t see it as such and went on to tell the media Tuesday afternoon that it was a misunderstanding and blown out of proportion. That response to the situation was not taken well. With something to prove and the anticipation for him to return to his “Boston-self”, Devers struck a 99 mph fastball 416 feet over the center field fence to tie the game. The Oracle Park crowd erupted and proceeded to think that every other ball put in play the rest of the ninth was also going over the fence for a game-winner. Two flyouts later, the crowd got what they wished for when Victor Bericoto walked out of the batter’s box and threw his bat in excitement as he watched his 445 foot bomb leave the yard for a Giants win.
It was his first walk-off hit, RBI, and home run of his young career and the second walk-off homer by a Giants rookie this season (Bryce Eldridge on June 10). The Giants are now 10-2 over their last 12 games vs. the A’s going back to August 18, 2024 and 11-3 against them at Oracle Park since the start of the 2021 season.
Giants’ RHP Landen Roupp (5-7 ERA 4.15) will try to make it three in a row with a sweep of the A’s Thursday afternoon against LHP Jeffrey Springs (3-7 ERA 5.55) at 12:45pm at Oracle Park.
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