The Atlanta Braves won another game in spectacular fashion on Saturday. It came at the expense of an extremely anguished San Francisco Giants pitcher.
The Atlanta Braves are the best team in baseball and have been using the last couple of weeks to remind everybody of that fact. The San Francisco Giants had the good fortune of not being the New York Mets, but not enough good fortune to avoid a soul-crushing loss at the hands of Braves outfielder Eddie Rosario.
Let's set the stage: bottom of the eighth, two outs, runner on first for Atlanta.
The Giants are up 5-4 with bullpen ace Tyler Rogers on the mound.
He winds up, sidearm slings it toward home plate — and Rosario sends it to the moon.
This is the good stuff, folks. Our first whiff of the high-stakes baseball on the horizon. You can practically smell October emanating off the screen. The absolute killer pose from Rosario. The complete and utter anguish of Rogers, who came up just short of a save. This is baseball at its best.
San Francisco Giants' Tyler Rogers gives up game-winning home run to Atlanta Braves' Eddie Rosario
Look man. It's hard not to relate to Mr. Rogers here. Life is tough some days. Every now and then, something goes too far wrong and you just snap. Not outward, in some belligerent display of anger, but inward. The man just wanted a save. We've all been in his shoes, in one way or another.
For Rosario, this was the capstone for an amazing night at the plate. He went 4-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs. That'll get the job done. Ronald Acuña Jr. sent one over the fence earlier in the night, continuing the Braves' recent power parade. Pretty much everyone in the lineup has gotten involved at this point.
The Giants are right in the thick of the National League wild card race and can use every win right now. The Braves are the first MLB team to crack 80 wins, enough to give them a solid first-place cushion. San Francisco will hope to exact revenge later in this series. If not, the playoffs may present them with such an opportunity.
We can only hope, for Tyler Rogers' sake. He needs to exorcise some demons after this one.