Rafael Devers led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run and Victor Bericoto ended it with a two-out, walk-off blast as the San Francisco Giants rallied for all their scoring in a 2-1 home victory over the Athletics on Wednesday night.
Trailing 1-0 after Max Muncy had homered in the top of the eighth, the Giants got a key catch in the right-field corner by Jung Hoo Lee to prevent further A’s scoring in the ninth to set up the game-winning uprising against Elvis Alvarado (3-3).
Devers’ homer, his 12th, went to straight-away center field on Alvarado’s third pitch. Then, after Willy Adames and Lee flied out, Bericoto launched the second homer of his rookie season well over the fence in left-center.
Erik Miller (1-0), who escaped a two-on, two-out threat in the top of the ninth thanks to Lee’s running catch on pinch-hitter Jonah Heim’s bid for extra bases, was credited with the win.
Muncy’s homer, his fifth of the season, came after Giants reliever Dylan Smith had retired the first two batters he faced in the eighth. The blast was a no-doubter, sailing well over the center field fence.
Neither starting pitcher was rewarded for his shutout work.
A’s rookie Gage Jump struck out nine in five innings, allowing three hits and one walk. He was pulled after throwing 97 pitches.
The Giants advanced just one baserunner past first base against the left-hander, that coming on Lee’s two-out double in the second inning. Gage struck out Bericoto to end the threat.
The Giants’ Tyler Mahle matched zeroes with Jump before leaving with two outs in the sixth inning, limiting the A’s to two hits and two walks. He struck out four.
Bericoto saved the shutout for Mahle in the fifth inning when he retrieved an overthrow in short left field and gunned down Jacob Wilson at the plate.
Both teams played without their hot-hitting second basemen after they suffered injuries in Tuesday’s series opener. The A’s sat out Zack Gelof, who cut his right hand attempting to make a tag at second base, while the Giants rested Luis Arraez after he fouled a ball off his right foot.
Lee and Bericoto had two hits apiece for the Giants, who out-hit the A’s 6-3.
The loss was the A’s fourth straight.
