Brett Wisely hit a single that tied the game in the ninth inning with two outs. Moments later, Tyler Fitzgerald scored the winning run on a wild pitch by Trevor Richards, helping the San Francisco Giants come from behind to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Richards (1-1) gave up a single to Patrick Bailey and walked Fitzgerald, allowing the Giants to load the bases with the tying and go-ahead runs. Wisely then hit a single between first and second base to drive in the tying run.
Fitzgerald had been hoping Richards would throw a pitch in the dirt. “I was ready for anything in the dirt,” Fitzgerald said. “I guess I made it happen.”
Manager Bob Melvin praised his team for their perseverance, especially in their tough at-bats during the ninth inning.
“It’s not often you get a walkoff win like that, but our guys showed determination in that final inning,” Melvin said.
Yusei Kikuchi pitched into the eighth inning, striking out a career-high 13 batters. Ernie Clement’s three-run homer in the seventh inning had put the Blue Jays ahead, denying Blake Snell a chance at his first win of the season.
Clement hit the home run off Ryan Walker, who had given up a walk and a double before Clement’s big hit.
Snell, the NL Cy Young Award winner, returned from the injured list after being sidelined with a left groin strain since June 3. He faced off against Kikuchi, also a left-handed pitcher.
Kikuchi has not won a game in his last five starts, going 0-3 since his last victory against Milwaukee on June 11. He struck out six batters in his first three innings, including striking out the side in the second inning.
Heliot Ramos hit a home run in the fourth inning, giving the Giants a lead. He became the Giants’ first homegrown All-Star since Chili Davis in 1986.
Kikuchi’s previous high of 12 strikeouts was on July 23, 2021, against Oakland, and this game marked his first double-digit strikeout game since then.
