Yastrzemski walkoff caps stellar Blake Snell start to close first half

Reporting from ORACLE PARK

Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell worked a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Twins Sunday afternoon, helping the Giants close out the first half of the season with a walkoff 3-2 win over Minnesota.

Mike Yastrzemski pulled through for the Giants in the ninth as the first batter to the plate with a 2-1 count against Jhoan Duran, smashing a deep fly ball into the right-center gap. As he rounded second base, the relay throw from right fielder Manuel Margot landed in the Giants dugout, allowing Yastrzemski to jog home and win the game.

This story has been updated with quotes and post-game material from the Giants clubhouse at Oracle Park.

On the crazy play, Yastrzemski said:

“Once I saw it on the ground, I knew that, especially with the random amount, you got to try and get every 90 feet that you can. So in that moment, you know thinking the risk is worth the reward. Ran out of the box anyway because I was going to try and get on even if he kind of pulled up.”

In his second start after returning from a groin injury, Snell brought down his ERA to 6.31 from 7.85, making this outing look easy. He tallied eight strikeouts and zero hits or walks through the seventh inning, a promising end to a frustrating first half. Snell had an unexpected beginning to the 2024 season, landing on the injured list twice and missing 59 games for San Francisco.

On his outing, Snell said that it was a step in the right direction:

“Some things that I like today are consistency and delivery and just repeating that, so I’m happy with that. Sequences. I was happy with them. But a couple that I could have done better.”

Snell allowed a hit into left field to Margot to start off the seventh. The hit didn’t affect Snell’s sharpness much, as he drew a double play from Willi Castro then struck out Brooks Lee to close out the inning.

Bob Melvin was happy with the way the game ended:

“Pitching was superb. We got a couple key hits and gave a couple runs in the ninth which can be pretty deflating. Walker came in and did a good job of shutting it down.”

Tyler Rogers entered for the top of the eighth, relieving Snell after 80 pitches. The Giants turned to closer Camilo Doval for the ninth in a two-run game, but the Twins plated two runs on a loud, game-tying double off the bat of Margot, allowing Diego Castillo and Byron Buxton to score and tie things at 2-2.

Up Next

The Giants round out their first half with a record of 46-50 and will send two All-Stars to the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday. Logan Webb and Heliot Ramos were both selected as first-time All-Stars. The All-Star Break lasts from July 15-18 and the Giants will pick things back up on Friday in Colorado to face the Rockies.