Giants Seize 4–3 Thriller as Dodgers’ Miscues Open a Door to Wild Card Hopes
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants were a swing away from being swept and a whisper away from fading out of the playoff picture. Instead, a late-inning surge and a costly Dodgers misplay turned Oracle Park into a cauldron of noise Sunday afternoon, giving the Giants a 4–3 victory that may yet keep their wild card chase alive.
For most of the game, it looked like Los Angeles would finish the sweep. Dodgers starter Bobby Miller kept the Giants off balance with a biting slider and mid-90s fastball, scattering five hits across six innings. San Francisco managed only two runs, both scratched out on patient at-bats and a seeing-eye single from LaMonte Wade Jr.
But the game swung in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs and a runner on first, Wilmer Flores drove a sharp grounder to third that seemed routine. The ball skipped past Max Muncy’s glove—ruled an error—and put two men aboard. Two pitches later, rookie Patrick Bailey laced a double down the right-field line, scoring both runners and flipping a 3–2 deficit into a 4–3 Giants lead. Oracle Park roared, rally towels spinning like a sudden storm.
The Dodgers had a chance to answer in the ninth, putting the tying run on second. Camilo Doval, whose command has wavered in September, dug deep and painted a 99 mph sinker on the inside corner to strike out Mookie Betts and end it. Doval pounded his chest as the crowd erupted again.
Manager Gabe Kapler praised his team’s grit. “We’ve had our share of rough patches,” Kapler said. “But we keep talking about staying present and competing every pitch. Today was a great example of that.”
The win didn’t erase the Giants’ uphill climb. They remain on the outside of the wild card race, trailing the final spot by several games with less than two weeks left. But Sunday’s escape served as both a morale boost and a reminder that a single game can shift momentum. Veteran Brandon Crawford noted the stakes: “We know where we stand. Nights like this give you belief.”
For the Dodgers, the loss was more frustrating than damaging—they still hold a comfortable division lead. But the late defensive lapse was a rare crack in their typically crisp execution, and manager Dave Roberts acknowledged it. “We didn’t finish,” he said. “That’s on us.”
As the Giants begin their final homestand, the path remains narrow but alive. If they do claw into October, they may point back to this afternoon as the moment belief refused to die.
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