NEW YORK — If you are reading this, see a cardiologist immediately.
These Giants can apparently handle a deficit of any size, climbing out of yet another hole late Friday night to seize the first game of the series against the Mets at Citi Field, 8-7, that once again looked out of grasp when the eighth inning began and nearly slipped out of their hands again in the ninth.
Trailing 6-2 after being held in check by a third rookie in a row, Mets right-hander Christian Scott, the Giants rallied for five runs against reliever Reed Garrett. Before this week, they had never erased deficits of four or more in consecutive road games but have now done it three days in a row.
Don’t look now, but with their ninth win in the past 12 games, the Giants evened their record back to .500 for the first time since they were 2-2.
They were very nearly sent backward in their quest to even their record as Camilo Doval loaded the bases and allowed a run in the ninth inning. Doval’s ineffectiveness, coupled with another high-stakes error from Marco Luciano at shortstop, made Mike Yastrzemski’s solo shot in the eighth inning stand up.
A grand slam, one way or the other, seems to unlock something for this squad.
They became the fourth team in history to allow grand slams in consecutive games and win the past two days in Pittsburgh, and Friday night in Queens broke out the rye bread and mustard themselves.
The rally began with a bloop and ended with a two-out blast from Patrick Bailey — drawing shades of his late homer here last year — to clear the bases after Garrett issued ball four to the previous game’s hero, Matt Chapman, to load them. It wouldn’t have been possible if Marco Luciano’s pop fly hadn’t fallen between Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte in no-man’s land in shallow right field.
Sailing into bullpens beyond right-center field, Bailey’s grand slam traveled an estimated 420 feet and gave the Giants a second home run for only their 10th game this season. Jorge Soler provided one of the two runs they scratched across in six innings against Scott with a no-doubter to left field for his first homer since returning from a shoulder strain. When leaving the yard more than once, the Giants improved to 7-3.
Yastrzemski provided crucial insurance in the eighth with a third homer into the second deck in right field.
The late offense picked up Harrison, who was in line for the loss after being tagged for five runs (four earned) while failing to pitch deeper than the fifth inning for his third consecutive start. Missing armside time and time again, Harrison found the strike zone on only half of his 98 pitches.
When he took the mound in the fifth inning, Harrison’s gray jersey was soaked with sweat, and the Mets took advantage of the visibly tiring left-hander, teeing off for back-to-back home runs that extended their lead to 5-2. Another homer from Pete Alonso off Nick Avila in the seventh widened the gap to 6-2.
The comeback wouldn’t have been possible without some stellar defense, with Thairo Estrada ranging to his left to nab Brett Baty’s 105.4 mph ground ball with a runner on third base for the first out of the ninth inning and Luis Matos saving a run with a leaping grab into the outfield wall that ended the fourth inning.
However, it also had to withstand a fourth error in the past three games from Luciano, who muffed a would-be double-play grounder that extended the ninth and allowed the Mets to plate one run before Matt Chapman saved the day with perhaps his finest work of the season.
With the tying run on third, Chapman charged a soft roller from Mark Vientos and fired just in time to first base, where LaMonte Wade Jr. made an acrobatic catch and stretch to hold on for the final out. The play stood up upon video review.
Notable
The Giants agreed to terms with LHP Drew Pomeranz on a major-league deal and activated him before first pitch, adding him to their bullpen and giving the 35-year-old veteran of flexor tendon surgery his first big-league opportunity since 2021.
It remains a long shot that either OF Austin Slater (concussion) or OF Michael Conforto (hamstring) is activated on this trip, but the Giants did get good news about a number of their injured players not with them. LHP Robbie Ray (elbow surgery) will throw 20 pitches in a live batting practice session Saturday in his first time facing hitters since undergoing Tommy John and flexor tendon surgeries, and RHP Alex Cobb (elbow) also resumed his throwing progression.
Next up
RHP Jordan Hicks (4-1, 2.38) vs. RHP Luis Severino (2-2, 3.48) in the second game of the series, with first pitch scheduled for 10:40 a.m. PT.
