Giants outlast Astros in wild Home Run Derby-like game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Giants and Houston Astros played a game at Oracle Park on Saturday, but you would be forgiven if you thought the game actually took place at Coors Field in Denver.
On a warm day in San Francisco, the Giants hit five homers in a wild 8-6 win over the Astros.
The Astros hit three homers of their own, and the eight combined long balls tied an Oracle Park record from a game between the Giants and Rockies on Sept. 24, 2019.
Donovan Solano got the scoring started in the second inning with a solo homer off Astros starter Zack Greinke.
After the Astros took the lead with three runs in the top of the third, Wilmer Flores answered back with a two-run blast in the bottom half of the inning.
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An inning later, LaMonte Wade Jr. gave the Giants a 5-3 lead with a 417-foot homer into McCovey Cove, and no one was happier than his mom, Emily, who watched the ball fly over her head while she was on the right field arcade.
Again, the Astros responded with two runs to tie the game, and again, the Giants answered back with a homer to take the lead, this time from Darin Ruf in the bottom of the fifth.
Guess what happened next? Yes, the Astros tied the game in the next half inning when Martin Maldonado hit a solo homer. In the bottom of the sixth, Brandon Crawford gave the Giants a 7-6 lead with an RBI single to center to score Ruf.
Mike Yastrzemski gave the Giants breathing room -- and hit the final homer of the game -- with a 411-foot homer that bounced off the arcade and into McCovey Cove.
The win allowed the Giants to hold onto the best record in baseball, giving them a 1 1/2 game lead over the Astros. And depending on what happens when the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres play their respective games Saturday, San Francisco could extend their lead in the NL West.
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If this weekend's series between the Giants and Astros is a World Series preview, Saturday's game should give everyone something to look forward to in October.
