Hoo and Hicks Carry Giants to First Victory of 2024 Season

It was another beautiful day for baseball in San Diego, California. The Giants, in search of their first win of the year, turned to flamethrowing closer-turned-starter Jordan Hicks, who was one of the many offseason acquisitions for the team, and Hicks brought his A-game.

Starting off the game, a unique, and admittedly awesome, situation occurred. Giants Rookie outfielder, Jung Hoo Lee, grounded out to his former KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) teammate on the Kiwoom Heroes, Ha-Seong Kim, for the first out of the game against Padres ace, and opening-day starter, Dylan Cease. Cease made fairly quick work of Jorge Soler and Lamonte Wade Jr by striking out both batters to end the frame.

Hicks, making his season debut, came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. Hicks’ fastball was sitting around 98MPH, a little ways off from the former closer’s max effort fastball that we have all seen hit 105, even 106 miles per hour at times. Hicks struck out Padres leadoff hitter Xander Bogaerts after filling the count, getting Xander to whiff on a 97mph sinking fastball at the bottom of the zone. Hicks retired the next 2 batters Fernando Tatis Jr and Jake Cronenworth to retire the side. 

In the top of the second inning, the Giants started getting things going with a walk by Wilmer Flores and a seeing-eye pop-up double by Michael Conforto that snuck in between a few converging Padres defenders. Thairo Estrada came up and flew out to center field just deep enough for Flores to trot home for the first run of the game. Next up, catcher Tom Murphy, had his first at-bat of the season go about as well as he could have asked for. The 32-year-old journeyman catcher roped hanging slider down the left field line for an RBI double, cushioning the Giants lead to 2-0. Nick Ahmed nearly lined what would have been an RBI double into right-center, if it weren’t for Xander Bogaerts making a fantastic diving play that put a stop to the scoring in the second inning. The Giants never looked back after that as Jordan Hicks was given all the support he needed.

Things got quiet offensively for the most part for both teams, with minimal traffic on the basepaths. Hicks did get into a bit of a jam in the bottom of the 4th inning, dealing with a 1-out, bases-loaded situation. Tyler Wade stepped up to the plate and Hicks turned to his splitter to get Wade to strikeout, and rookie Phenom, Jackson Merrill, lined a 99MPH fastball right to the Giants shortstop for the out instead of what could have been the rookie’s first career RBI. 

The Giants got another run off of Dylan Cease in the top of the fifth inning thanks to a miscue by the Platinum Glove outfielder, Fernando Tatis Jr, that put two runners in scoring position for Jung Hoo Lee, who then flew out to the deep right field where Tatis made a very fine play to prevent another run from coming across.

Hicks was done after 5 innings, and unfortunately, it wasn’t long after that when the Padres got their first run across. On a hit-and-run situation, Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar lined a ground ball just past Giants third baseman, Matt Chapman, and rolled all the way to the corner allowing Jake Cronenworth to rumble around the bases and get the team on the board. Giants lefty reliever Taylor Rodgers was able to put an end to the inning by striking out pinch hitter Eguy Rosario with a check swing called by the first base umpire. 

In the top of the 8th inning, rookie Jung Hoo Lee mashed his first career MLB homerun into the right field stands, with his father, and KBO Legend, Jong Beom Lee, in attendance to see it. Jong Beom Lee is aptly named Son of Wind for being a menace on the basepaths during his KBO career. You might say that Jung Hoo Lee could have the nickname Grandson of Wind.

Later in the inning, with bases loaded and one out, Wilmer Flores hits a 3-1 sinker off of Padres lefty Tom Cosgrove into left field to bring in another run. With bases still loaded, Michael Conforto came up to bat for the fourth time in the game and delivered the crushing blow. A 380-foot Grand Slam, really putting the game out of reach for the Padres. It was the Giants game to lose now. 

The Giants turned to the bullpen yet again. Where relievers Erik Miller and Camilio Doval combined for the final 6 outs, allowing five earned runs on two hits and four walks. The two hits were both home runs, a 2 run shot that just squeaked over the left field wall by Eguy Rosario, and a three-run dong by Padres rookie third baseman Graham Pauley that banged high off the right field foul pole. Pauley’s homerun was not only his first career MLB homerun, but his first career MLB hit, as well. 

All in all, this was one of the more exciting games that we have seen in the young season across the league. The Giants offseason acquisitions have given Giants fans around the world reason to believe that this team could be making some noise come September, and maybe even October.