SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Joc Pederson hit a tying home run in the eighth inning and drew the winning walk in the ninth to help the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Tuesday night for their ninth straight victory.
“I really do think this is a team thing that’s happening right now,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “There’s a lot of trust from one player to the next. Guys are celebrating and comfortable taking walks. Obviously, the Joc walk was big for us.”
Pederson drew the bases-loaded walk off four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader a night after Mike Yastrzemski gave the Giants a victory with a three-run home run in the 10th inning.
It’s San Francisco’s third walkoff-win this season and the first time the Giants have done it in back-to-back games since 2019. They hadn’t had a game-ending walk since 2016.
Luis Matos started the ninth for San Francisco with a one-out walk off Nick Martinez (3-3). Patrick Bailey followed with a single to left, just under diving third baseman Manny Machado. Hader replaced Martinez and walked pinch-hitter Casey Schmitt after being called for a pitch-clock violation.
Hader struck out David Villar before Pederson drew a seven-pitch walk against the lefty the Giants’ DH called, “Probably the best closer in the game right now.”
Thairo Estrada doubled and scored for the Giants, whose winning streak is their longest since 2021. Tyler Rogers (2-4) retired three batters for the victory.
“It feels like we’ve got 26 guys pulling on the same string,” Pederson said. “It’s somebody new every night.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his team-leading 15th home run for San Diego and finished with three hits.
Before the Padres bullpen gave up the lead, San Diego starter Seth Lugo was stellar in his return from a right calf strain against a surging Giants lineup that had scored seven runs or more in the previous six games.
Lugo struck out five of the first six batters he faced, including three looking, and allowed three hits and one run in five innings.
Tatis reached on an infield single in the first, singled and scored on an infield grounder in the third when he slid into home plate and beat first baseman David Villar’s throw. Tatis then crushed an 0-1 pitch from starter Anthony DeSclafani that easily cleared the wall in center in the fifth. The Padres slugger struck out and flew out in his other two at-bats.
San Francisco loaded the bases against Tim Hill with no outs in the seventh. Hill got Patrick Bailey to ground into a 5-2 double play before allowing an RBI single by Brandon Crawford.
DeSclafani, winless in his last five starts, had six strikeouts in five innings but allowed eight hits and three runs.
