Browsing: 30homer

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants made a late lineup switch prior to their regular-season finale against the Rockies, moving Willy Adames into the leadoff spot to maximize his chances of ending the clubâ€s long-lived 30-homer drought.

Adames responded by crushing the very first pitch he saw from right-hander McCade Brown over the center-field wall, becoming the first Giant to hit 30 homers in a single season since Barry Bonds in 2004.

“I think that was the conversation between me and [manager Bob Melvin] today,†Adames said. “He asked me if Iâ€d rather hit first or second. I said, ‘I donâ€t care. Just put [me] in the leadoff spot. Iâ€ll swing at the first pitch.†I donâ€t remember a time Iâ€d hit in the leadoff spot. But it was kind of like, ‘Boom.â€â€

Adames†first career leadoff home run set the tone for a 4-0 win that capped a three-game sweep of the Rockies and clinched an 81-81 record for the Giants on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park. It was the second time in the last four seasons that San Francisco has finished exactly at .500.

While the Giants fell short of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, they got pretty much what they expected out of Adames, who joined the club on a seven-year, $182 million contract last December.

Adames slumped badly over his first two months in San Francisco, but he turned it around in the second half and ended up batting .225 with a .739 OPS and a team-high 30 homers over 160 games.

The Giants†21-year spell without a 30-homer hitter had been the longest active streak in the Majors. Every other team had at least six such seasons from 2005-24 and at least one from 2019-24.

Adames hit his 28th home run of the season on Sept. 9, but his chances of reaching 30 appeared to take a hit after he went 14 games without going deep. Still, the 30-year-old managed to reach the elusive benchmark by homering twice in the Giants†final three games of the year.

“It just kind of seemed like something he would do,†third baseman Matt Chapman said. “I feel like heâ€s got a knack for the big moment sometimes. … That was awesome. He deserves it. Heâ€s worked his butt off this whole year. After everything heâ€s been through, the way he carries himself every single day and the teammate heâ€s been, to be able to get 30 homers and kind of break that curse, he deserves it. He really does.â€

With his Statcast-projected 417-foot blast in the bottom of the first, Adames became only the second shortstop in Giants history to record a 30-homer season, joining Rich Aurilia in 2001 (37).

Adames wasnâ€t the only Giant to reach a notable milestone on Sunday. Right-hander Logan Webb struck out eight over 5 1/3 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 3.22 over an MLB-high 34 starts and finish as the National League leader in both innings (207) and strikeouts (224) this year. Heâ€s the first Giant to pace the league in both categories since Bill Voiselle in 1944.

“I always say if Iâ€m able to lead the league in innings itâ€s a huge credit to the defensive guys who are making plays,†said Webb, who also secured his second MLB innings crown in the last three seasons. “Iâ€m probably not the easiest guy to play behind. I get a lot of hard-hit balls, especially groundballs. With [catcher Patrick Bailey] calling pitches and [Melvin] being able to trust me in situations where I can go out for another inning or another two innings and trust me to throw 110 pitches — if I didnâ€t have that, then I donâ€t think itâ€d be possible for me to lead the league innings. Itâ€s something I always strive to do.â€

Between Adames, Webb, Devers and Chapman, the Giants have four cornerstone players to build around heading into 2026. They donâ€t believe theyâ€re far off from turning back into contenders, especially after finishing only two games behind the 83-win Reds for the third and final NL Wild Card spot.

Even so, the team is bound to undergo some significant changes this winter and potentially bid goodbye to familiar faces like Wilmer Flores, an impending free agent who might have played his final game as Giant on Sunday. Flores started at first base and lined out in his lone at-bat before he was replaced by top prospect Bryce Eldridge in the top of the third.

“There are guys on a team that youâ€re always going to gravitate to, and Wilmer is one of those guys, no matter where he goes,†Melvin said.

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