Bright Moments: Opening Weekend

 

• Joey Bart, opening the season with a home run and a game-saving putout at home (more on that later). 

• Heliot Ramos, just 22 and he don't mind flyin'.  How about a base hit and a run scored in his first major-league at-bat, a 2-for-3 day as the Giants win their opening series, and a standing O from the fans in left field. Welcome to the big leagues, young man. Now guys, let's keep him up here.

• Carlos Rodon, on a five-inning leash, striking out 12, allowing three hits and one run, which scored on a swinging-strike-three wild pitch. Entertaining, and mighty good, and deserving of the win he didn't get. 

• Logan Webb, unruffled as the Opening Day starter ("Of course," his demeanor on the mound seemed to state), pitching a whole lot like he did down the stretch last year and also deserving of the win he didn't get.

• Zack Littell, getting the ground-ball double play he needed in the seventh yesterday to preserve the lead and the win.

• Dominic Leone, rebounding from his horrific Friday to get a three-up three-down save yesterday. With this many relievers on the staff, no one is irreplaceable, and brother Leone did what it takes to pitch another week. 

• Darin Ruf's electric bang-bang unassisted double play at first base that killed Miami's last rally and made Tyler Rogers day a whole lot easier. 

• Austin Slater (more on him later) throwing out Jesus Sanchez trying to stretch a single into a double. 

• And the whole tenth inning on Friday, which looked for all the world as though the Giants were going to egregiously blow Webb's fine start and the home opener. John Brebbia, the last man out of the bullpen, replaces the shellshocked Camilo Doval to start the frame, and with the "phantom runner" lurking on second base immediately walks the leadoff man. Might as well chalk up a run right now, huh? Jesus Aguilar does his job perfectly, advancing the runner to third with a deep fly ball. Then Wilmer Flores, always "adventurous" anywhere in the field, makes a perfect throw home from third and Bart tags out that runner. Gabe Kapler makes the obligatory lefty-lefty switch, and the Giants are out of it without a scratch.

• But that ain't all. Bottom of the tenth, and Mauricio Dubon starting off on second. His baserunning mistakes are already  the stuff of legend, and, oh-my-laundry-- here's another! Or was it really a perfect 9-4-5 relay that got him trying to take third on Brandon Belt's fly ball to right?  Either way, Giants now have two out and nobody on. Then Darin Ruf draws a four-pitch walk. And Austin Slater-- doesn't he do this all the time?-- rips one all the way down the left-field line into the corner and here comes Ruf, motoring around with the winning run. Just like they drew it up on the whiteboard!

• And finally.... Austin Slater. Again. Why? Because we like you.