The San Francisco Giants fell in dramatic fashion to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night, losing 8-5 in 10 innings. But what stood out most was manager Bob Melvin's late-game decision to wave Jung Hoo Lee home, one that backfired and left fans buzzing.

Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, the Giants loaded the bases with no outs after Calvin Faucher issued his fifth walk of the night. Casey Schmitt then scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly from Willy Adames to make it 4-4.

Patrick Bailey followed with a line-drive single to left field. Lee, running from second, was waved home on the play but was thrown out at the plate by Kyle Stowers. Catcher Nick Fortes applied the tag for the second out, and Bailey moved up to second on the throw.

With the go-ahead run still in scoring position, Christian Koss then lined out to third baseman Connor Norby, ending the inning and the Giants’ chance at a walk-off.

After the game, Melvin defended the controversial move in a video posted by NBC Sports Bay Area onto X (formerly known as Twitter).

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“We’re trying to win a game there.”

That seven-word statement summed up the Giants vs. Marlins chess match that unfolded at Oracle Park. In the 10th, the Marlins responded with four runs—powered by Otto Lopez and rookie Heriberto Hernandez—to seal the victory. It was a crushing blow for a team neck-and-neck with the Padres in the NL Wild Card race.

The MLB playoffs picture only grows tighter for the Giants. Now at 44-36, they’re locked in a battle for the second Wild Card spot, and every mistake carries extra weight. Lee’s aggressive base running may have cost them the game, but Melvin’s decision reveals the kind of urgency the Giants are operating under.

San Francisco finished 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, continuing a frustrating trend (8-for-59 over the past eight games). While Mike Yastrzemski homered early and Heliot Ramos had two hits, the offense couldn’t find the timely knock to finish the comeback.

Meanwhile, the Marlins extended their win streak to three and secured their second straight series victory. For the Giants, the sting of this loss could linger—especially as questions mount around managerial decisions in crunch time.