SAN FRANCISCO – Kevin Gausman heard the boos when he stepped into the batter’s box Friday night, realizing right away the home fans had no idea their team was down to its last options with no position players left.
So the pinch-hitting pitcher stood in and delivered, lofting a full-count, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 11th inning that sent the San Francisco Giants past the Atlanta Braves, 6-5, in a matchup of National League division leaders.
“Oh man, that was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my entire career,” Gausman said. “When it was 3-2 and everybody stood up, it was probably one of the coolest moments of my life. … Just crazy.”
It wasn’t the only heroic performance for the Giants, who moved two games ahead of the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. San Francisco infielder Donovan Solano, who came off the COVID-19 injured list before the game, connected for a tying, pinch-hit home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Atlanta, meanwhile, had its NL East lead trimmed to two games over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies, who beat the New York Mets 4-3 on Friday. The third-place Mets are 5 1/2 games behind the Braves, who are seeking a fourth straight division title.