Bailey's three-run homer propels SF Giants to electrifying win over Dodgers

Justice delos Santos, The Mercury News on Apr 23, 2026

Published in Baseball

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SAN FRANCISCO — Patrick Bailey delivered one of the most thrilling moments of last season just over seven months ago, hitting a walk-off grand slam off the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tanner Scott as the Giants tried to keep their slim postseason hopes alive.

The stakes on Wednesday night at Oracle Park paled in comparison, but Bailey delivered another dramatic homer to propel the Giants to a 3-0 win over the Dodgers, a no-doubt three-run shot in the bottom of the seventh that secured a series victory.

It was a desperately needed swing by Bailey, who entered play with no homers and a .362 OPS over 60 plate appearances.

Bailey’s blast earned right-hander Tyler Mahle his first win as a Giant, a well-earned victory after tossing seven shutout innings with five strikeouts.

The outing was much-needed redemption for Mahle, who turned in one of the worst starts of his career in his last start. Against the Cincinnati Reds, his former team, Mahle allowed a career-high four homers and matched his career highs with eight earned runs (eight) and five walks.

Mahle’s opposite on the mound Wednesday was four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who pitched six shutout innings with seven strikeouts while generating 18 whiffs. At one point, Ohtani retired 11 consecutive batters.

Despite Ohtani’s efforts on the mound, the two-way superstar saw his 53-game on-base streak come to an end as he went 0-for-4 at the plate. Rafael Devers made a nifty play in the top of the third to deny Ohtani a hit, making a sliding stop on a sharp grounder to his right before flipping to Mahle for the out.

Mahle found himself in trouble in the top of the fourth when the Dodgers put runners on second and third with one out, but the right-hander got out of the inning without allowing a run thanks to a couple of assists from his defense.

The Giants recorded the second out of the inning when Freddie Freeman, the runner on third, broke home on a grounder hit right at Devers. Devers fired a throw home and catcher Patrick Bailey chased Freeman back to third base before tagging him for the out.

With runners at the corners and two outs, the Dodgers’ Hyeseong Kim hit a line drive that second baseman Luis Arraez picked out of the dirt on a short hop before firing to first with some flair, ending the inning and keeping the game tied.

Shortstop Willy Adames made a difficult play of his own to deny Will Smith a hit in the top of the fifth, snagging an even trickier short hop that was 105.9 mph off the bat before throwing to Devers for the out.

The Giants finally mounted a rally off Ohtani in the bottom of the sixth when Matt Chapman legged out an infield single and Devers pulled a double down the first-base line, putting runners on second and third with two outs. With the game’s first run just 90 feet away, Ohtani did what superstars do.

On his 91st and final pitch of the night, Ohtani struck out Casey Schmitt swinging with an outside sweeper that disappeared from the zone and roared as he walked off the mound.

Soon enough, the Giants — and their fans — roared right back.

Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos began the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back singles off left-hander Jack Dreyer, and Drew Gilbert put them both in scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Then, Bailey.

Dreyer tried to retire Bailey with a 1-2 slider, but the left-hander’s breaking ball was of the hanging variety. Bailey didn’t miss it, sending Dreyer’s offering into the left-field bleachers. The Giants had a 3-0 lead, and Oracle Park went ballistic.

Caleb Killian and Ryan Walker each pitched a scoreless inning to close it down. Walker secured his third save of the season by barehanding Andy Pages’ dribbler and throwing to Devers for the final out.

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