Modesto's Ninth-Inning Home Run Sinks Giants
June 28, 2023 - California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release
The San Jose Giants suffered a 6-4 series-opening loss to the Modesto Nuts on Wednesday afternoon at Excite Ballpark. The Giants battled back to tie the game with a three-run bottom of the eighth before Modesto's Cole Young hit a go-ahead two-run homer in top of the ninth inning to lift the Nuts to the victory. The loss was San Jose's (41-29 overall, 1-3 second half) eighth in their last ten games.
P.J. Hilson (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) collected a pair of hits while Diego Velasquez (1-for-4, 2 RBI) had a key two-run single to lead the Giants offensively in defeat.
Seth Corry started on the mound for San Jose in his California League debut. Corry, a former third round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants, was the 2019 South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year with the Augusta GreenJackets (Single-A), but was limited to only two starts last season due to a shoulder injury. He joined San Jose at the beginning of the week after four rehab starts in the Complex League (Rookie-level) and began his start on Wednesday with three scoreless innings. Corry used a double play to pitch around a one-out double and a single in the top of the first before working through a leadoff walk in the second. In the third, Milkar Perez led off with a double, but was stranded at second.
The Giants then took a 1-0 lead with a single tally in the bottom of the third. Jose Ramos led off the inning with a walk and then stole his team-leading 20th base of the season. Hilson followed with a ringing double to deep left center that easily scored Ramos with the first run of the day.
The Nuts, however, would answer in the top of the fourth as five straight hitters reached base with one one and three runs scored in the frame. After Corry registered a strikeout to begin the inning, Josh Hood stepped to the plate and launched a solo home run to left center that tied the game. A walk to Tatem Levins followed before Bill Knight smacked an RBI double off the left field fence giving Modesto a 2-1 lead. Perez then greeted new pitcher Cameron Cotter with a single and a Justin Lavey single, the fifth straight batter in the inning to reach safely, scored Knight for a 3-1 Nuts advantage.
Modesto extended their lead to 4-1 in the top of the sixth thanks to a pair of San Jose errors. Levins led off with a single and took second on the play when the left fielder Hilson mishandled the ball for an error. Knight then singled down the left field line with another Hilson fielding error on the play bringing home Levins with the fourth Nuts run.
Meanwhile, San Jose was held without a hit over a four-inning stretch from the fourth through the seventh. Still trailing 4-1, however, the Giants rallied in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Hilson reached on an infield single before a walk to Thomas Gavello. After a wild pitch advanced both runners, Velasquez singled sharply into right plating both Hilson and Gavello bringing San Jose within 4-3.
Turner Hill was up next and he grounded out to advance Velasquez, the potential tying run, to second. Andrew Kachel then blooped the seventh pitch of his at-bat into shallow left center for a single to score Velasquez tying the game 4-4.
With the score tied, Tyler Vogel was summoned from the bullpen to begin the top of the ninth and quickly retired the first batter of the inning before issuing a full-count walk to Michael Arroyo. Young, the first round pick of the Seattle Mariners last year, then crushed a 1-2 pitch from Vogel over the wall in right center for a go-ahead two-run home run. The 417-foot blast was Young's fourth homer of the season as Modesto reclaimed the lead at 6-4.
In the bottom of the ninth, Tanner O'Tremba was hit by a pitch to leadoff which brought the tying run to the plate, but the next three Giants hitters were retired to end the game.
The Nuts out-hit San Jose by a 10-6 margin. Vogel (4-3) was saddled with the loss after surrendering the game-deciding home run in the top of the ninth. Modesto starter Marcelo Perez fired six strong innings yielding only one run on two hits. Perez, who walked one and struck out five, retired the final nine batters of his outing. Corry tossed 3 1/3 innings in his start with three runs (all earned) allowed. He walked two and struck out three. 2019 California League All-Star Heliot Ramos started a rehab assignment with San Jose and played the first five innings in center field on Wednesday. Ramos finished the game 0-for-2.
The Giants continue their series against Modesto on Thursday evening with first pitch at Excite Ballpark set for 6:30 PM. Hayden Wynja is San Jose's scheduled starting pitcher.
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