Happy Father’s Day to one and all! And a reflective Juneteenth to everybody who is enjoying a day off from work today (or, in my case, just getting things out a little later than normal after a pleasant morning hike with Mrs. There R Giants).
Hope everybody got a chance to throw a little ball around with their fathers and/or sons — in spirit if not in fact. Tyler Fitzgerald certainly got in the Father’s Day spirit with a little rocket’s red glare to honor the father who taught him to love the game.
And I hope everybody got a chance to enjoy a little history-in-the-making whomping of the Damned Dodgers, with a featured role for a kid who’s been a very significant part of There R Giants from the start of this site (and who also learned the game from his father, who still calls him after every game)! Development takes a long, long time….and then it feels like it happens all in a rush! According to the Giants, the only other player in San Francisco history to score seven runs in his first four games was the inimitable Willie McCovey (hero of my childhood!). What do you think of that company, Luis?
Who’s to say which of the kids we’ll discuss today will be having their own feature moment in Dodger Stadium some day soon? One thing’s for sure, whoever rises to the top, if you’re a There R Giants reader, you’ll be able to astound your fellow Giants’ fans with your knowledge of their development journey! Because here we follow them all and we follow them from the very beginning!
HITTER of the WEEKEND: Ghordy Santos (Eug), 5 for 11, 2 2b (8), 3b (2), 3 BB, 5 R
PITCHER of the WEEKEND: Hayden Birdsong (Eug), 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Most of the minor league performances didn’t quite match the major league side this weekend in terms of drama or impact — perhaps the kids on the farm sensed this was a weekend to let the big brothers have their space to shine.
But you never know, somewhere down in the furthest reaches of the system, perhaps there was some new kid just starting his own Matos-like journey…like little Luis Frias, who collected his second consecutive four-hit game on Friday. It’s a long way up, but Matos helps shine a light on the path.
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