CHICAGO -- A tense extra-inning affair quickly turned into a laugher after the Giants erupted for nine runs in the 11th inning to stun the Cubs, 14-5, on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, matching the fifth-largest margin of victory in an extra-inning game in the last 125 seasons.
The outburst is tied for the highest-scoring 11th inning since 1900. The last team to score nine runs in the 11th was the Padres on June 28, 1994. And the nine runs are the most scored in an extra inning at Wrigley Field.
After neither team scored its automatic runner in the 10th, the Giants got their huge frame started with an Heliot Ramos double to put runners on second and third for Patrick Bailey, who followed with a go-ahead single to center field. That was only the start. San Francisco went on to send 12 batters to the plate, blowing the game open behind three consecutive RBI singles from Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman and Wilmer Flores.
The Giants’ nine runs off Chicago reliever Ryan Pressly -- who faced eight batters without recording an out -- were the most they’ve ever scored in a single extra inning in franchise history.
“Crazy,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Especially against a quality pitcher like that. We’ve seen us take good at-bats off back-end relievers all year, but that inning -- especially after having to come back in the dugout with a tie game and then not scoring in the 10th -- putting up nine runs against him, that doesn’t happen very often.”
The 11-run outburst created the perfect soft landing for left-hander Kyle Harrison, who came in to make his first career relief appearance in the bottom of the 11th. Harrison, the last reliever left in the Giants’ bullpen, topped out at 97 mph while working a 1-2-3 inning to set up a rubber match in Wednesday afternoon’s series finale on the North Side.
“The boys helped me out, and I got some padding,” Harrison said. “I really appreciated them for that. I kind of got to go out there and just let it eat. It was a fun experience. This was a good way to ease me into it.”
The late onslaught ended up being a wild turn of events for the Giants, who endured a deflating bottom of the ninth after the Cubs rallied to tie the game by scoring two runs off closer Ryan Walker.
Walker’s hiccup cost Justin Verlander a chance to pick up his first win as a Giant, an unfortunate redux of the blowup that also happened against the Angels on April 20. Verlander is now winless through his first eight starts of the year, the longest drought of his 20-year career.
“I literally apologized to him today,” Walker said. “I was like, ‘Dude, I’m sorry. I’ve ruined this twice for you already.’”
“Obviously, you want some wins, but I’ve also been somebody who never really expects a lot of wins when I only go five innings,” said Verlander, who didn’t factor into the decision after giving up three runs on five hits over five frames. “I don’t really feel like I did my job as well as I should have today, although I feel like it was pretty positive stuff-wise.”
Walker gave up an RBI single to pinch-hitter Justin Turner and then wasn’t pleased after Melvin came out to get him with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Walker left a pair of runners on for left-hander Erik Miller, who surrendered a game-tying single to Kyle Tucker, but then struck out Seiya Suzuki to force extra innings.
“Obviously, things were a little shaky, but I felt I could finish it out,” Walker said. “Considering the things that were going on, I kind of felt like I got a second wind. ‘I’ve got this, I’m going to finish out.’ But I get [Melvin’s] move.”
Miller returned to the mound in the bottom of the 10th and issued a leadoff walk to Michael Busch to put a pair of runners on with one out, but he struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong and coaxed a lineout from Dansby Swanson to once again preserve the 5-5 tie.
“He’s a beast,” Walker said. “He came in and picked everybody up.”
After scoring five runs over the first four innings, the Giants were held scoreless for six consecutive frames before pouring it on in the 11th. Ramos (4-for-5), Lee (3-for-6), Chapman (3-for-5) and Bailey (2-for-4) each recorded multiple knocks to lead a 16-hit parade that resulted in San Francisco’s highest-scoring game of the year.
“We’ve been resilient all season long,” Verlander said. “I think we really have each other’s backs here in the locker room. We have a great group of guys. That mentality kind of carries over. The positivity carries over. You don’t get down on yourself. Baseball will do that all on its own to you if you let it. Just having that mindset, that feeling, I think, makes a big difference.”