Rodón, Flores rise to the occasion in Giants’ much-needed win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
While Wilmer Flores has come up with some big hits during his MLB career with the New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Giants, not many would have predicted that he’s one of the best clutch hitters over the last decade.
But the numbers back it.
Flores came through with a two-run walk-off homer to give the Giants a much-needed 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday at Oracle Park, completing a three-game sweep of one of the teams ahead of them in the NL wild-card standings.
Since 2014, Flores now has 11 walk-off RBI, tying him with Josh Donaldson for the most during that span, per the Giants.
When San Francisco needed a big hit, Flores was there to provide it.
“Part of the reason I think he’s so effective is that he’s able to keep his wits about him in the most important situations that makes everybody’s hearts beat out of their chests,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters after the win. “And he just stays cool, calm, and collected and is able to deliver the same sort of approach at the plate in the first inning of a game. And that’s what makes him so special.”
Before Flores came through in the ninth, it was Carlos Rodón who rose to the occasion.
The Giants’ All-Star lefty pitched six shutout innings and struck out 10 Phillies batters. But in his final inning of work, he ran into trouble, teetering on the brink of disaster.
Philadelphia loaded the bases with one out but Rodón reached back and struck out Jean Segura and Bryson Stott to get out of the jam.
Coming off the mound, Rodón let out a primal scream that matched the ferocity of the Giants fans in attendance on a hot day in the Bay Area.
“I was a little fired up,” Rodón told reporters after the game. “I thought that sixth inning, they made it tough, they strung together some really good at-bats, hit some good sliders. They went deep into counts. I think they made me throw 36 pitches that inning, so I thought they strung together at-bats really well. Threw a lot of pitches. That’s a good lineup. It really is.”
The strikeout of Segura was Rodón’s 200th this season, marking the first time in his career he has reached that number. Even after the win and a career milestone, the 29-year-old was focused on trying to get the Giants to the playoffs.
“I’ve never done it,” Rodón said. “It’s a cool feat but there’s a handful of games left so let’s keep going.”
Rodón has been known to let his emotions get the best of him this season, but Kapler was pleased with the way his starter used the fire within him to get out of a sticky situation that could have doomed the Giants.
“We’ve talked all season about Carlos’ ability to channel his emotions and when he’s directing his emotions into his athleticism on the mound and delivering his pitches and carrying the fastball through the zone, executing his slider where he wants it to go,” Kapler told reporters. “He might be the best pitcher in baseball during those times. It’s just a really elite carry fastball that’s a ton of strikes and it’s his ability to mix in other pitches as well. I think very similar to Wilmer, the moment gets really big, you got the bases loaded and he’s able to get out of the jam unscathed through some really tough hitters.
“We talked about this being a gutsy performance from the team and it was certainly led by Carlos. He set the tone early in that game for what it was going to be like.”
The Giants have a long way to go if they want to claim the final wild-card spot in the NL, but bouncing back from a seven-game losing streak to sweep the Phillies was exactly what was required.
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With 30 games left in the regular season, San Francisco is eight games behind Philadelphia in the playoff race, and things don’t get easier for the Giants as they head to Los Angeles for a three-game series with the Dodgers beginning Monday.
The odds are stacked against the Giants but Flores and Rodón aren’t giving up. They met the moment at the right times Sunday, keeping San Francisco’s hopes alive. That’s all that matters right now.
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