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The San Francisco Giants stumbled through the end of June and got thumped on the first day of July, but they are fully awake now. Bob Melvin's club won five of its last six and found itself back in a National League Wild Card position entering Tuesday's clash with the Philadelphia Phillies. The fan base's excitement level is even higher after Patrick Bailey led the Giants to a 4-3 walk-off win in one of the most improbable ways imaginable.
The young catcher, who is sinking below the Mendoza Line with a .194 batting average, lifted Oracle Park to the moon with his heart-stopping heroics in the ninth inning. San Francisco trailed 3-1 with one out and runners on first and third base when Bailey stepped up to bat. Given his almost nonexistent offense, Phillies fans may have expected the game to end with the 23-year-old. And it certainly did. He hammered the ball off the right-field brick wall and dashed all the way home for the game-ending inside-the-park home run.
Bailey had not gone yard since May 21, and yet, he somehow becomes the first catcher in almost 100 years to hit an unconventional HR. This moment needs no embellishing. It is incomprehensible on its own. One of the worst hitters in the league this season, a man who has just five stolen bases in 289 MLB games, helps the Giants topple one of the best teams in the NL. Like the famous “Moneyball” line says, “how can you not be romantic about baseball?”
Patrick Bailey is still processing the chaos he unleashed in the Bay Area. Nevertheless, the 2020 first-round draft pick still managed to effectively express his thought-process during what is one of the wildest plays of the year so far.
Bailey reflects on his thrilling triumph after Giants win
“Off the bat, I just knew I got it well. Obviously I saw it was toward Triple’s Alley. And I was like, ‘Oh, I gotta go — at least gotta get to third here.’ Once I saw the bounce, I was like just don't fall over.”
Patrick Bailey on his INSANE walk-off inside-the-park HR #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/aJaWyMI0K5
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) July 9, 2025
“Off the bat, I just knew I got it well,” he told the media, per 95.7 The Game. “Obviously I saw it was toward Triple’s Alley. And I was like, ‘Oh, I gotta go — at least gotta get to third here.’ Once I saw the bounce, I was like ‘just don't fall over.'”
The 2024 Gold Glover was understandably gassed after sprinting around the bases, but when he had a little time to appreciate what he accomplished in the final frame, Bailey made a special thank you.
“Yeah, that's pretty cool,” he said in response to ending the ridiculously long inside-the-park home run drought for catchers. “I've just got to thank God for this opportunity to be here and play this game. It's a lot of fun doing it with this group of guys.”
Bailey is known for the immense value he provides behind the plate, but if he can start contributing with his bat, the Giants (51-42) could become a legitimate championship contender. They do not seem too far from that level, anyway.
The final game of this series is at 3:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Hopefully, both teams will be well rested, because it should be extremely difficult to sleep after this one.
