Between the top and bottom of the fifth inning, fans rose to their feet and erupted as the Oracle Park jumbotron flashed the Dodgers score: MIL 5, LAD 1. “Beat LA” chants rang on the shores of McCovey Cove.
At that point, the Giants led the Padres 2-0. The fans could smell a ninth NL West title in franchise history.
San Francisco (106-54) tacked on one more run and shut down San Diego with five pitchers, including rookie closer Camilo Doval. SF added another victory — 3-0 — to its already historic season.
The Giants have now matched the 117-year franchise record for wins in a season with 106. For an organization that has employed the greatest player of two generations in Willie Mays and Barry Bonds, it’s a team of wily veterans and overachieving acquisitions that’s won more than any.
The Giants’ magic number is now one. Even if the Dodgers, who have won the division eight straight years, hold on to their 6-5 lead over the Brewers at the time of publication, the Giants still sit in the driver’s seat. Both SF and the Dodgers have two games remaining this weekend. Any Giants win or Dodgers loss the rest of the way clinches the division for San Francisco.
Before Friday’s win, Fangraphs gave the Giants a 90.6% chance at winning the NL West. Even if it’s not tonight, there almost certainly will be another clubhouse celebration at Oracle Park this weekend.
While the Dodgers had to face Brewers starter Eric Lauer, the Giants ran into the Padres clumsily trying to parallel park the rest of the season.
Pedro Avila, San Diego’s starter Friday, had pitched 20 more innings at Double-A than at Triple-A this year before making his season MLB debut in Oracle Park. With nothing left to play for and Blake Snell, Chris Paddack and Yu Darvish on the injured list, the Padres handed Avila the keys.
The Padres team most thought was a Mercedes looks more like a beat-down Kia. Avila stumbled in the first inning, allowing a solo home run to Darin Ruf. He didn’t get much help from his field, as first baseman Eric Hosmer committed an error trying to scoop a low throw, and Mike Yastrzemski chuckled with first base coach Antoan Richardson after he check-swung in a second run.
Though the Giants only hung two runs on Avila, they also enjoyed a Manny Machado-less Padres lineup. Anthony DeSclafani tossed five scoreless innings, striking out three and walking none. He exited after 71 pitches so as not to face the top of SD’s order a third time.
José Álvarez, in relief of DeSclafani, pitched a scoreless sixth inning despite traffic on the basepaths. Fernando Tatis Jr. tried to score from second on an Eric Hosmer single that hit the third base bag, but Evan Longoria scooped it and ran the MVP contender down.
Next inning, Donovan Solano led off with a double over Trent Grisham’s in center field. 2021 Willie Mac Award winner LaMonte Wade Jr. drove him in with a sacrifice fly.
It was 3-0. As they have for weeks, the Giants inched closer to the NL West throne.
All the while, sporadic “Beat LA” pleas popped up spontaneously. Then not so spontaneously after Trea Turner launched a fifth-inning grand alsma to tie the game.
After Álvarez, a combination of Dominic Leone, Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval shut down the rudderless Padres lineup. Doval earned his third career save, all of which have come in the rookie’s last three appearances.
Now, for a moment, the biggest Milwaukee Brewers fans in America are in the Oracle Park clubhouse.