What began as a routine infield dribbler turned into one of the most unconventional walk-offs of the MLB season.
On Sunday, April 27, with the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Heliot Ramos stepped into the box for the Giants. He barely made contact on the first pitch he saw from Rangers reliever Luke Jackson, tapping a slow roller toward third base. Jackson charged, barehanded the ball, and fired wide of first base — the first domino in a sequence of defensive miscues.
Ramos hesitated as he rounded second, unsure if Texas first baseman Jake Burger had already recovered the errant throw. But when he spotted third-base coach Matt Williams waving him in, he turned on the afterburners.
Burger’s follow-up throw to third missed the mark too, skipping into left field. That was all Ramos needed. He sprinted home and dove across the plate, capping a wild play that won the game 3-2 and gave the Giants their fifth walk-off of the year.
“It all worked out about as good as it could,” said Giants manager Bob Melvin. “If he knew the ball had gotten away earlier, he’d probably just be standing on third with nobody out. But sometimes chaos brings a little magic.”
Ramos admitted he thought about playing it safe — until he saw the signal to keep running. “I guess I had it,” he said with a grin, adding that the team would likely be rewatching the play in the next hitters’ meeting… and giving him plenty of grief.
The Giants improved to 19-10 with the win and continue to build their early-season case as one of the toughest teams to put away in the National League.
From infield tap to headfirst game-winner — this one’s going on the season highlight reel.