Category: Sports News

It’s safe to say that Wednesday night was the best night of Victor Bericoto’s young major league career. On a night where he gunned down a runner at home plate, the 24-year-old rookie hit a two-out 9th inning home run off OaklandLas Vegas Sacramento Athletics closer Elvis Alvarado (3-3) to give the San Francisco Giants a 2-1 victory.

Bericoto’s team trailed 1-0 going into the final inning, thanks to a home run by Max “No Not That One” Muncy, who went deep in the 8th inning to break a scoreless tie. Erik Miller (1-0) pitched out of a jam in the top of the inning, aided by some fine outfield defense, which set the stage for the Giants’ dinger party in the bottom half.

First, Rafael Devers treated an Alvarado four-seam fastball like it was a story about him refusing to come out of the game for a pinch-runner, and his bat was the media. Devers blew it all out of proportion, launching the ball 416 feet into center field. Take that, organic eatery!

RAFI BOMB TO TIE IT UP 💣 pic.twitter.com/DYoSlkbB7S

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 25, 2026

Then Alvarado hung a slider to Bericoto, and he blasted a rainbowGod’s promise to humanity a secular, parabolically-arcing home run 445 feet over the wall, delighting Giants fans and reminding A’s fans what a truly punishing experience supporting their ungrateful team can be.

Victor Bericoto WALKS IT OFF with a MOONSHOT to left center 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nweZk3bTTX

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 25, 2026

It’s a shame that starter Tyler Mahle couldn’t get his second win of the season after throwing 5.2 scoreless innings, striking out four, walking two, and giving up two hits. Mahle retired the first nine batters he faced, didn’t give up a hit until the 5th inning, and generally enjoyed his best outing in seven weeks, before his injured list stint for a totally-real ailment that wasn’t just cover for Mahle, well, sucking ass.

The Giants helped out Mahle on defense Wednesday night. In the 4th inning, Casey Schmitt started a double play with a backhanded stop and flip to Willy Adames. One batter later, Jung Hoo Lee chased down a long drive while crashing into the right field wall.

It’s been a brutal series for Lee so far. He’s crashed into a wall and been clotheslined by the second baseman thanks to an errant throw while stealing second. Jacob Wilson had to barehand another wild throw to protect Lee while he stood on second on a different play. Early in Wednesday’s game, Lee almost got drilled with a foul ball while minding his own business in the dugout.

Look out Jung Hoo! 😅 pic.twitter.com/eEG4PrXHOp

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 25, 2026

Later, Lee crashed into a chain-link fence on a different part of the right field wall while robbing pinch-hitter Jonah Heim with two out and two on in the top of the 9th inning. Perhaps Lee struck a deal with the baseball gods, where he became unstoppable at the plate in exchange for the ballpark actively trying to kill him.

WHAT A CATCH BY JUNG HOO LEE 😱 pic.twitter.com/Rikynx79HT

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 25, 2026

In the 5th inning, Mahle escaped a two-on, one-out jam with a rarely-seen 4-7-2 double play. Schmitt snagged a Lawrence Butler line drive, then threw wildly to second trying to double Wilson off second. When the throw bounced into left field, Wilson tried to score, only to be gunned down by Victor Bericoto, despite Wilson’s creative efforts to dodge Eric Haase’s tag.

Just your average 4-7-2 double play 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/TA3ni3TYaN

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 25, 2026

The Giants did very little against Athletics’ ace Gage Jump, who is apparently named after an X Games BMX event. Jump struck out nine hitters in five innings, with the home hitters struggling get a loud foul off the 23-year-old lefty. That being said, they did get a lot of foul balls off Jump — 21 in the first three innings. Jump struck out the side in the first inning, but it took him 19 pitches. He needed 17 pitches to retire Devers twice, while Bericoto and Haase each fouled off three two-strike pitches before going down on strikes.

That meant Jump hit 97 pitches after five innings and the A’s bullpen took over. That didn’t help the Giants until the 8th, when pich-hitter Drew Gilbert and Matt Chapman drew walks, only to see Luis “Funky Cold” Medina whiff both Bryce Eldridge and Schmitt.

In the bullpen. Ryan Walker continued to be untouchable during Pride Month, either by opposing hitters or the commissioner’s office. He pitched a scoreless 7th, striking out Wilson, and has now given up only one hit and one walk in 4.2 innings in June.

But was Bericoto’s night as the Giants moved to 4-1 against their Highway 80 rivals. They’ll close the series Thursday, and if home runs are contagious, they couldn’t be facing a better pitcher than Jeffrey Springs, who has given up 21 homers so far this year. And he’s left-handed, which means Bericoto should get a shot at him. Who knows, maybe Mark Kotsay lets Springs run the bases and Bericoto can throw him out at the plate, too.

There are a variety of types of victories in baseball. You can have offensive blowouts, dominant pitching performances, slugfests with each team trading body blows among many others. But one of the most satisfying types in my opinion is an all-around team effort where each phase of the game performs well in support of each other. Those types of victories have been tough to come by for the Diamondbacks over the last few weeks as the team has experienced renewed injury issues across the roster and inconsistent play both within and between games. So on days where everything seems to click well, it’s worth reflecting on that performance. There were bullpen arms that stepped up, a young rookie starter, and of course, some excellent defense that kept the Cardinals off the board.

The Arizona offense used one of those big innings that Torey Lovullo keeps talking about Diamondback pitchers avoiding with an offensive eruption in the fourth. It started innocently enough with a leadoff single to Corbin Carroll and a walk to Gabriel Moreno but ended with back-to-back home runs from LuJames Groover (the first of his career) and Ketel Marte (the 184th of his career). In between, the D-Backs plated three runs on a bloop single from Tommy Troy and an Ildemaro Vargas double down the line. It’s especially important to get significant offensive production from those two given that they’re often placed in the latter half or bottom third of the lineup and can set the table for the elite batters at the top of the lineup. After that eruption, the Arizona bats went dormant until they added some much-needed insurance runs with timely hits from both Troy and Marte again in the seventh and eighth.

But of course, the other major storyline heading into tonight: Mitch Bratt’s major league debut. It was the second MLB debut the D-Backs have seen this week after Jose Cabrera’s scoreless outing on Sunday against the Twins. Sadly, Bratt’s debut wasn’t quite as successful as Cabrera’s, but equally symbolic of the additional youth movement taking over the team’s roster. Despite aiming to have Bratt run through the lineup twice, Lovullo opted to pull the rookie after just one turn through the St Louis lineup. It was an understandable decision given that Bratt is still working his way back from injury and threw just 48 pitches in his last outing with Reno last week, but part of me still would have liked to have seen Lovullo give Bratt one chance to get through another inning and build some additional confidence. Even still, there were plenty of encouraging signs that he and fans can take away from the abbreviated appearance including collecting the first three strikeouts of his big league career and seven whiffs. As a control pitcher primarily, Bratt’s command slipped at times, but that’s completely understandable given the incredible nerves he was probably feeling.

Even though Bratt’s debut will obviously get most of the press for the game, the parade of relievers who came into the game in support deserve plenty of praise too. Ryan Thompson was the first out of the bullpen and his two innings of one-run ball set the table for the rest of his fellow relievers who combined for six innings of three-run baseball. Tomorrow, the D-Backs will look for a rare four-game series win. If they can keep playing high-quality team baseball like they did today, it could be a fun second half of baseball.

The New York Mets haven't had the best start to the 2026 season and it seems changes are to come.

The Mets have a 34-46 record after their 10-3 and 10-5 losses to the Chicago Cubs on June 24. After the game, the clubs decided to swap a pair of players.

The Cubs are acquiring left-hander David Peterson from the Mets, ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan first reported.

More: Star shortstop Francisco Lindor returns, but Mets still face injury woes

In his most recent game, Peterson took the mound against the Phillies in a 6-2 loss on June 21. He threw five strikeouts in four innings pitched. In 79 pitches thrown, he allowed six hits, including a home run, and five runs.

In exchange for Peterson, the Mets will receive the Cubs' No. 13 prospect, Cole Mathis, a first baseman and designated hitter, according to MLB.com.

More: MLB trade deadline rumors start with Tarik Skubal intrigue

David Peterson stats

Peterson has a 3-6 record as a pitcher so far in the 2026 season. He's played 16 games and started eight of them for New York. Peterson has pitched 68 innings and has a 6.09 ERA.

Batters have went yard on him only six times, but he's allowed 82 hits and 51 runs. He's tossed 63 strikeouts and has a 1.65 WHIP.

David Peterson contract

Peterson will be a free agent at the end of the 2026 season. He signed a one-year deal with the Mets worth $8.1 million.

How old is David Peterson?

Peterson is 30 years old. He first joined MLB in 2020 and has played all seven seasons of his career for the Mets.

Peterson was drafted by the New York Mets with the 20th pick in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: New York Mets trade David Peterson to Chicago Cubs for prospect

It’s Wednesday night here at BCB After Dark: the coolest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Thank you for taking time out to visit with us. We always like to see a friendly face. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night, I asked you about a proposed trade for Tarik Skubal. The deal, which sent four players to Detroit, was considered too rich for your blood as 84 percent of you said you wouldn’t make that deal.

The Cubs did make a deal for a starting pitcher tonight and it’s not Tarik Skubal. We’ll get to that in a little bit.

Here’s the part with the jazz and the movies. You’re free to skip ahead if you want. Or skip the baseball stuff at the end. You’re free to read this however you want.

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Tonight we’re featuring legendary vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater singing “Bye Bye Blackbird” in Berlin in 1997.

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I’ve been watching a lot of World Cup games this past week, so I’ve only had a chance to watch one film: director Gary Hustwit’s 2024 documentary Eno on former Roxy Music member, ambient music pioneer and producer to much of the great music of the last 50 years, Brian Eno. Oh, he’s also famous for being a crossword puzzle clue. I could write about Eno tonight, but for reasons that will become clear when I do write about it, I really need to see it at least twice before writing on it. And I can’t watch it again until next week–again, for reasons that will become clear when I do write about it.

If anyone has seen Eno somewhere other than on the Criterion Channel, I want to know about it. Preferably before I write about it.

So I thought I’d just throw things open to you right now, in honor of the World Cup, for you to talk about your favorite non-baseball sports movies. We’ve gone over baseball movies lots of times and honestly, I don’t think any sport works as well on the screen as baseball, with the possible exception of boxing. But there are good non-baseball sports movies. Slap Shot is one of my favorite films. Hoop Dreams is a documentary, but it’s a great movie. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen Raging Bull, but I need to see that film again. I loved it the first time I saw it back in the eighties.

So if you want, share some of your favorite sports films, not baseball edition. I’m pretty confident most of you will list Space Jam, but we will see.

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Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

I don’t have to tell you that the Cubs have had major issues with injuries to the starting rotation. The bullpen has taken their hits too, but the Cubs’ have lost Cade Horton for the season, Jameson Taillon a few weeks ago for at least two months and Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown went to the injured list today. Matthew Boyd has been out months and is only making his return tomorrow/today.

So the Cubs need a starting pitcher and they made a move for one tonight.

Trade news: The Chicago Cubs are acquiring left-hander David Peterson from the New York Mets, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 25, 2026

Later reports have the Cubs sending corner infielder Cole Mathis to the Mets for Peterson.

There’s a lot to unpack there. Peterson has been a Met throughout his entire career and last year he made the National League All-Star team. That was mostly because he was 6-4 with a 3.05 ERA in the first half of 2025.

Peterson kind of fell off a cliff in the second half of 2025, putting up a 6.34 ERA in 12 starts. This year, Peterson has lost his spot in the Mets starting rotation as he sports a 6.09 ERA in eight starts and eight relief appearances.

However, there is reason to think that Peterson could be much better with the Cubs than that with the Mets.

The Cubs desperately need starting-pitching help, and they'll get a big leaguer in Peterson who has a 6.09 ERA this season. He's got a 3.85 FIP, however, and 51.1% groundball rate — and going from the Mets' infield defense to the best-in-MLB Cubs' could be huge for Peterson.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 25, 2026

Peterson’s walk percentage is slightly up this year and his strikeout percentage is slightly down. However, the difference in the two is small enough (9.0% to 9.4% and 20.7% to 19.7%) that that could just be random fluctuation. He’s not a hard-thrower, but there’s been no drop in velocity on his pitches this year. His hard-hit rate is down as well as the average velocity he’s giving up on balls in play.

In fact, it seems that the Mets’ crappy infield defense might be a huge reason for Peterson’s struggles this year. You’ve seen that terrible defense this week as the Cubs play the Mets and Peterson is the kind of pitcher who needs his defense to make plays behind him to be effective. His batting average on balls-in-play has jumped from .293 in 2024 and .316 last year to .350 this year. His “strand rate” is way down this year as well. Maybe he’s just not pitching as well with men on base, but with a veteran like Peterson, it seems more likely that it’s just random chance. Or the Mets’ crappy defense again.

In any case, while Peterson’s ERA this year is a poor 6.09, his FIP is a very solid 3.85. With that ground ball rate, Peterson seems exactly like the type of pitcher to benefit from the Cubs’ elite defense.

Peterson is a free agent at the end of the year, so this is a rental.

Going the other way is corner infielder Cole Mathis, 22, the Cubs’ second-round pick in 2024. Mathis is currently on the injured list, where he’s spent much of his professional career. Mathis had Tommy John surgery in 2024 and wasn’t able to make his pro debut until the next season. There he was limited to being a DH and even then, only managed to play 29 games in 2025 before the Cubs shut him down until the Arizona Fall League. He was able to play first base in the AFL this past winter.

This year, Mathis has played 39 games between Myrtle Beach and South Bend and has hit .272/.396/.585 with ten home runs. As you might expect, his numbers are much better in Low-A Myrtle Beach and seven of his ten home runs were hit there in almost half as many games.

As you can see from those numbers, Mathis is a solid hitter. He makes a lot of hard contact, mostly on a line. He can draw a walk and doesn’t strike out too much. The Cubs took him in the second round because there’s nice right-handed swing there and some real promise that he can make consistent hard contact.

However, despite the Cubs still insisting that Mathis is a third baseman, he’s only played five games there in his entire professional career. He’s also had trouble staying healthy. He’s a player with some real upside in that he could develop into an average major league hitter with average power, but that there’s some real risk that he’s limited to being a first baseman, where 50 tools on hit and power aren’t going to cut it. Maybe he could be better than that as a hitter. There’s always a chance that a player who makes that kind of contact might have a higher ceiling than that. But there’s also a real chance that Mathis never stays healthy enough the have a major league career, like former Cubs second-round pick Brennen Davis, who was a far more promising prospect than Mathis.

Baseball America ranked Mathis as the Cubs’ 9th-best prospect and MLB Pipeline had him at 13. I put him at nine in my offseason rankings, but I did note that there was a real drop-off after eight in my rankings and that 9 through 18 or 19 could be in almost any order.

So what do you think of the David Robertson trade?

Thanks for stopping by tonight. We’re all in a pretty good mood. I hope you didn’t get in too good a mood and overdo it. Please get home safely. Call a ride if you need to. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip the waitstaff. And join us again next week for more BCB After Dark.

They can ignore him no longer. After smashing so many records since breaking through as a 13-year-old, India are likely to hand a debut to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Friday's first T20 international against Ireland in Belfast.

He will be 15 years and 91 days, younger even than India's most famous teenage prodigy, Sachin Tendulkar, who played a one-day international against Pakistan in 1989, aged 16 years and 205 days.

Given his age, Sooryavanshi will have to change in separate changing rooms from his team-mates for safeguarding reasons.

His imminent debut comes off the back of a stellar season in the Indian Premier League where he was the highest run-scorer with 776 in 16 innings at a strike-rate of 237.30 for the Rajasthan Royals.

Days ago, batting for India A against Sri Lanka A, he broke the record for the fastest half-century in the history of List A 50-over cricket when he reached the landmark off just 11 balls.

But beyond the statistics, what really makes teenage opening batter so special?

To find out, BBC Sport spoke to three legendary former batters - Rahul Dravid, Michael Vaughan and Justin Langer - who have all watched him at close quarters.

'Like a hose in a swimming pool'

Ex-Australia international Justin Langer, coach of Lucknow Super Giants, and was, like Sooryavanshi, a left-handed opener.

"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is only the second selfie I've ever asked for! The other was with an AFL champion who I used to watch when I was a little kid.

"I said 'I've never done this before in the IPL, but do you mind if we have a selfie together? Because I am in awe of your talent, I'm in awe of your mindset, I'm in awe of the way you play cricket'. Watching him bat is mind-blowing.

"What makes him so special? He's got extraordinary hands. I always say the really great players, their hands are like a hose in a swimming pool.

"He almost does a figure-eight in his hands in his backswing. You know, it's tiny, it's subtle, but they're just so loose.

"A lot of left-handers, when they're trying to hit sixes, they go from the sight screen round to the leg side, which is different with Sooryavanshi who sets up to hit it off side.

"First ball of his IPL career, he hit a six over cover. Not over long-on, not over deep mid-wicket like a lot of left-handers. He hit a six over cover and it went about 20 rows back into the stand.

"This kid not only has the game and the curiosity and hand-eye coordination, but also the hunger to score more and more runs. He is also so humble. That's the mark of a champion player."

'He's fearless, but hits lots of balls'

Former India batter Rahul Dravid was coach of Rajasthan Royals in 2025 and gave Sooryavanshi his IPL debut at 14.

"You're looking at a really unique talent. I think it's an incredible combination of ability to pick up a bowler's speed and then cricket smarts, fearlessness. It's a whole combination of things.

"I don't think there's a recipe for making a Sooryavanshi, I don't think you can take any kid and say, do this, and he will become that good.

"There are certain things they are just gifted with. But he's worked very hard as well, so it's not just a gift.

"From a young age, he's hit a lot of balls. I saw that at Rajasthan.

"I just hope that he's supported and helped along the journey to be able to actually achieve that potential.

"You need to protect someone like him, but it's always going to be that fine line because sometimes you need to let somebody fly."

• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: The teenager hitting the IPL for six

'Cartoons... and spotting a bowler's cues'

Former England captain Michael Vaughan worked as a commentator during the IPL where he got to see Sooryavanshi up close.

"I actually bumped into him in Mumbai. I had a bit of a fan moment. Honestly, I don't think I've had that since meeting Chris Waddle back in the 1990s!

"We had a great conversation. I asked him 'how did you prepare for the game?' He said 'watching cartoons'. I said 'what do you eat?' He said 'I eat everything!'.

"He clearly has an incredible eye and bat swing, but he's also got an amazing awareness of the cue of the bowler.

"He can assess the field, but as a batter, you see a cue in what the bowler's going to deliver. The real great players can just see it before the ball's released.

"Then he can smack it over extra cover, over deep square leg. He can hit it over third man for six.

"You miss your length by an inch, and he's smacking you out the ground. Forget where the field is, he just hits it over the top of the field.

"Imagine him putting on the whites for India and playing Test cricket."

• 'Why hit a single when you can hit six?' - the making of a teen IPL star
• Sooryavanshi, 15, wins car as he sweeps IPL awards

The Athletics took on the San Francisco Giants in the second game of this three-game interleague series on a breezy summer night in The City by the Bay”.

It looked like Max Muncy’s eighth inning home run would be enough to win this pitching duel. However, the A’s beleaguered bullpen had a final say, blowing its sixth save of June as the Giants rallied with two home runs in the ninth inning for the 2-1 series clinching victory. Not only did the A’s lose a fourth straight game, but they now could be without shortstop Jacob Wilson for another extended period of time.

Pitching Duel

Both pitchers—Giants right-hander Tyler Mahle and A’s left-hander Gage Jump—got off to strong starts, working scoreless first two innings. Jump struck out the side in his first inning of work before stranding a runner at second base in the next inning.

In the bottom of the third, A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz made a nice diving catch to rob Giants’ third baseman Matt Chapman of a base hit. Kurtz then stepped on the bag to complete the unassisted, inning-ending double play.

GOLD GLOVE LOADING FOR NICK KURTZ! WHAT A PLAY! 🪙 #Athleticspic.twitter.com/F1W4bB20Ld

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) June 25, 2026

A’s First Scoring Chance

A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson recorded his team’s first hit off Mahle with a one-out single in the fifth inning. Mahle then walked designated hitter Joey Meneses.

Right fielder Lawrence Butler crushed a ball right to the Giants second baseman Casey Schmitt, who made the catch for the second out. He tried doubling off Wilson at second base, but his throw was wild. Wilson tried scoring on the errant throw, but he was thrown out at home and appeared to hurt himself trying to evade the tag. That was a super aggressive send, especially considering that Wilson is not the fastest runner. He would have been better served staying at third to give the next batter a chance to get a two-out RBI hit.

Just your average 4-7-2 double play 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/TA3ni3TYaN

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 25, 2026

Jump Dominant Again

Jump pitched exceptionally well once again. He completed five scoreless innings, only allowing three hits and one walk, while accumulating a career-high nine strikeouts. Jump likely would have gone deeper into the game had the Giants not fouled off 30 pitches against the A’s young left-hander. According to A’s MLB.com reporter Martin Gallegos, Jump became the third A’s pitcher in the Integration Era (since 1947) to not allow a home run in their first six career starts, joining Tim Conroy (1978-82) and Jim Archer (1961).

JUMPMAN, JUMPMAN, JUMPMAN, GAGE JUMP'S UP TO SOMETHIN'!

CAREER-HIGH NINE PUNCHOUTS FOR THE YOUNG LEFTY SLINGER! 🔥🔥🔥⛽️ #Athleticspic.twitter.com/qW7kat27NE

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) June 25, 2026

Solid 5 from Gage 😤 pic.twitter.com/d6YCYf3gAf

— Athletics (@Athletics) June 25, 2026

Kurtz Fails to Come Through

With two outs in the sixth, Bolte crushed a double for the A’s first extra-base hit of the evening. That was the final batter Mahle faced. The Giants turned to left-hander Sam Hentges to face Kurtz. Mahle pitched well in his first start off the injured list, holding the A’s scoreless over 5 2/3 innings, striking out four and inducing six groundouts and three fly outs.

Kurtz swung at the first pitch and drove a deep fly ball to center that died at the warning track where center fielder Jonah Cox made the catch. That was the second straight inning in which the A’s just fell short of breaking the deadlock in this pitching duel.

Maximum Muncy!

A’s relievers Justin Sterner and Hogan Harris kept the game scoreless, each tossing a scoreless inning of relief.

With two outs in the top of the eighth inning, A’s third baseman Max Muncy put his team ahead with his fifth home run of the season, a 416-foot shot to center field off Giants reliever Dylan Smith. The solo homer gave the Athletics a 1-0 late lead.

MADDDD MAX 🤯 pic.twitter.com/sCJh2S7dLN

— Athletics (@Athletics) June 25, 2026

Medina Holds the Lead

In front for the first time tonight, hard-throwing right-hander Luis Medina entered out of the A’s bullpen to pitch the bottom of eighth, hoping to preserve the visitors slim lead. He issued walks to two of the first three batters he faced, with Cox’s sacrifice bunt between them. Medina escaped the jam unscathed by striking out San Francisco’s first baseman Bryce Eldridge and Schmitt.

100 MPH … BY YOU 🔥 pic.twitter.com/X3R6XqvJZu

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 25, 2026

A’s Rally Fizzles Out

Seeking some insurance runs, Bolte was hit by Smith’s first pitch of the ninth inning. The Giants promptly brought in left-hander Erik Miller to face the “Big Amish”. With one out, Bolte stole second, his ninth stolen base of the season.

The A’s squandered a chance to add a prime insurance opportunity. Left fielder Tyler Soderstrom popped out and then Giants right fielder Jung Hoo Lee took an RBI hit away from backup catcher Jonah Heim, who was pinch-hitting for Wilson. Heim entered the game because the A’s shortstop’s left shoulder was bothering him so much that he could not swing the bat at that moment.

A’s Blow Another Save

Heim stayed in the game to play third base, a position he had never played before.

Jonah Heim, who pinch-hit for Jacob Wilson in the top half, will log his first career game….at third base. #Athleticspic.twitter.com/B1Je0Sa2yY

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) June 25, 2026

That did not matter as Athletics reliever Elvis Alvarado quickly blew the save opportunity. San Francisco’s designated hitter Rafeal Devers led off the bottom of the ninth with a game-tying solo home run to center field, his 12th of the season.

The Giants did not want to play extra innings. Alvarado hung a slider in the middle of the plate which left fielder Victor Bericoto crushed for a 445 foot walk-off home run to send Giants fans home happy and leave A’s players and fans dejected.

What looked to be the team’s biggest weakness entering this season has indeed proved their biggest barrier to winning more games. The Athletics still do not have anyone consistently trustworthy at the back of their bullpen. Alvarado’s recent success seems to be wearing off, while the team for some reason designated one of their best performing relievers Joel Kuhnel for assignment earlier this month.

Following this crushing defeat, the Athletics will look to avoid the sweep tomorrow afternoon. Left-hander Jeffrey Springs will take the mound seeking to stop his team’s bleeding and earn his first win since April. He will be opposed by right-hander Landen Roupp, who is 5-7 with a 4.15 ERA through his first 15 starts of the season.

Where has this Tyler Mahle been?

The woeful Giants walked off the A’s, 2-1, with two homers in the ninth, but don’t let that distract you from the biggest development of a foggy Wednesday evening at Oracle Park.

Mahle looked like a totally different pitcher than the one that owned a 1-7 record and 6.04 ERA before a monthlong stint on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Even operating on a pitch limit in his first start back, Mahle needed only 70 to stymie the A’s for 5 ⅔ scoreless innings.

He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, limited the A’s to two total and only put on two other batters via bases on balls. He found the strike zone 44 times, a good sign after throwing strikes on only 33 of his 63 pitches in his one rehab start while walking five.

Before the game, manager Tony Vitello singled out two keys to turning Mahle’s suboptimal start to his Giants tenure around upon his return to the starting rotation.

No.1 Throwing strikes.

No. 2 Getting healthy.

A bit of evidence for the latter: Mahle’s average fastball velocity of 93.2 mph, up 1.2 notches from before the injury,

That was still only enough to match A’s starter Gage Jump, who fanned nine Giants and stranded three hits and a walk over five scoreless innings. Jung Hoo Lee was responsible for two of the Giants’ four hits through eight innings and about their only competitive at-bats, as well as a sensational catch crashing into the chainlink fencing in right field to end the top of the ninth.

The catch proved critical, as it came with runners on and likely prevented the A’s from padding what was a 1-0 lead. That kept the Giants within two swings going into the bottom half.

Rafael Devers delivered one to begin the inning against Elvis Alvarado, and Victor Bericoto provided the second and the walk off blast. Both players knew theirs were gone off the bat.

Devers admired his 416-foot blast to center, but it was no match for Bericoto’s: a 445-foot tank that left his bat at 108.7 mph. Entering the inning, the Giants had hit one ball at 100 mph.

The game remained scoreless into eighth, when Max Muncy squared up an 0-1 fastball from reliever Dylan Smith and knew it was gone as soon as it left his bat at 106.7 mph.

Mahle benefitted from a rollercoaster of a play that ended up in the final out of the fifth being made at home plate to keep the score tied at zero.

The A’s had two on with one out in the inning when Lawrence Butler sent a line drive to second baseman Casey Schmitt. He nabbed it for the second out. But, in an attempt to double up the runner at second, fired wide past the glove of Willy Adames and into left field foul territory.

Jacob Wilson, who was at second, easily made it to third and made the turn home. Awaiting him was the throw from Bericoto, clocked at 93 mph. Wilson attempted to dance around the tag of Eric Haase but wasn’t able to evade him.

What it means

The Giants are finally enjoying some stability in their starting rotation, though it remains to be seen how long it lasts. Mahle’s outing followed back-to-back starts of eight innings apiece from Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, the first time they’ve gotten even six innings from their starters in consecutive games since May 16-17.

If Mahle and Ray keep pitching like this, they will certainly draw interest from teams at the approaching trade deadline. Both starters’ contracts expire after this season, making them obvious candidates to move in the Giants’ impending selloff.

Who’s hot

Lee continued to climb the National League batting leaderboard with two more hits, raising his average to .335. Only the Marlins’ Otto Lopez (.340) is above him.

Lee’s first knock was a line drive double that left his bat at 102.7 mph. He made an out despite hitting the ball just about as hard his second time up, but it all evened out as he legged out a soft hopper up the middle that the shortstop Wilson lost on the transfer for an infield single.

Before the game, Vitello made the case for Lee’s All-Star candidacy. He was not among the top 10 vote-getters among NL outfielders in the latest update released Monday.

“It’s a fans’ game, and I don’t know who’s more fun to watch — [Luis] Arraez or Jungy — but the fan, crowd noise speaks for itself,” Vitello said. “Those guys on both sides of the ball have proven All-Star caliber defense, All-Star caliber offense. … Voting impacts it too, so I guess that’s my small rallying cry.”

Who’s not

The top five spots in the Giants’ lineup were 0-for-17 until Devers tied things up with his homer in the ninth as they struggled to crack the A’s deceptive left-handed starter.

Jump’s dominance helped bring an end to Casey Schmitt’s streak of seven straight multihit games. He would have tied the franchise record with one more but was among the hitless top of the order, including an inning-ending strikeout with two on in the eighth.

It has been a hard time for the Giants to get on the scoreboard much at all since they left Atlanta. They were held to three runs or fewer for the fifth straight game.

Up next

Landen Roupp will look to continue the stretch of strong starting pitching as the Giants look to secure only their first three-game sweep of the season in the series finale set for Thursday at 12:45 p.m.

Roupp is 0-6 with a 5.40 ERA in nine starts since his last win, April 26.