Why Giants' Webb has been Wilson's toughest at-bat of rookie season
Why Giants' Webb has been Wilson's toughest at-bat of rookie season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Star Athletics shortstop and AL Rookie of the Month for May, Jacob Wilson, has had a tremendous 2025 MLB season, batting .355 with 81 hits and 32 RBI over 58 games. However, there is one pitcher who has his number: Giants All-Star ace Logan Webb.
Advertisement
Wilson told reporters ahead of the A's 10-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday in West Sacramento that Webb, whom the rookie faced for the first time on May 16 in a 9-1 loss in San Francisco, posed the hardest matchup he has encountered thus far in his young career.
'I think the toughest at-bat probably was Logan Webb – my first at-bat of that series, being that I never faced him before and [he's] obviously a bigger name,' Wilson said. 'You're going out there and facing their [Giants] ace, it was a tough at-bat, for sure. He has good stuff. Going out there, I think you just try to battle, hopefully stay confident and spoil the pitches that he throws.'
Quite the admirable admission.
Advertisement
Wilson carries the third-highest batting average behind New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (.387) and Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (.369), but he admittedly had no luck in his lone meeting with Webb.
Webb collected the first out of that May 16 game against Wilson when eliciting a whiff after tossing four straight sinkers and an at-bat-ending sweeper. Webb got Wilson out two more times with groundouts, and the rookie ultimately finished the day 0-for-3.
As he detailed, Wilson has plenty of respect for Webb. But he also gave Webb's catcher, Patrick Bailey, his flowers for helping the ace with his pitch framing.
'They have Patrick Bailey back there, too, who makes everything look like a strike as well,' Wilson said. 'It's kind of a dual-threat when you go up there. But you just got to go up there and go to battle.'
The A's and Giants will meet again July 4-6 at Sutter Health Park in what should be a series fans can expect to see Wilson and Webb square off. Will Webb have the rookie's number once again, or will Wilson make the right adjustments against the ace?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
7 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Victor Perez makes first US Open ace at Oakmont in 42 years, pulls within 4 shots of the lead
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Victor Perez capped a nice second-day rally with a tournament highlight — the first U.S. Open ace at Oakmont since 1983. Perez hit a 7-iron on the sixth hole, a 192-yard par 3. The ball landed short of the hole, took a couple of bounces and rolled in. Perez ended up shooting an even-par 70 on Friday despite an early triple bogey. He's at 1 over through two rounds and was tied for sixth when play was suspended because of rain with only a few players left on the course. 'Obviously, a hole-in-one takes a bit of luck,' Perez said. 'I was trying to hit something maybe 15, 20 feet past the hole.' A double eagle, or albatross — like the one Patrick Reed made Thursday — is much more rare than an ace. However, the last time Oakmont yielded a hole-in-one during this national championship was 42 years ago, when Scott Simpson had one on No. 16. The 1994, 2007 and 2016 U.S. Opens, also held at this course, all came and went without an ace. Perez, a Frenchman who earned a spot for this tournament at a qualifier in Canada, said he's on a bit of a hole-in-one run. 'I've actually had two this month, against all odds,' he said. 'Back in the Bahamas, where I live.' After shooting a first-round 71, Perez started Friday on No. 10 and quickly made a triple-bogey 8 on No. 12. 'Obviously, it wasn't an ideal start. Kind of put myself a little bit behind the 8-ball after three holes,' he said. 'It was a bit unfortunate, but I was able to kind of keep my head going and bounce back.' He was at 4 over when he birdied the par-4 fifth hole. Then came his ace, which he celebrated by doing a leaping chest bump with his caddie. 'You try to just make pars and survive,' Perez said. 'When you get kind of a chip-in, bonuses, something like that, it definitely kicks off. So it was nice to have a little bit of emotion.' By the time Friday was over, Perez was just four strokes off the lead. He said he'd have happily signed up to be 1 over through 36 holes. 'A hundred percent,' he said. Savor the moment James Nicholas clearly wanted to enjoy himself at Oakmont this week. The 28-year-old from Scarsdale, New York — who played football in addition to golf at Yale — qualified for the U.S. Open in New Jersey earlier this month and then turned some heads with a first-round 69 on Thursday. Friday wasn't as kind as Nicholas shot 45 on the front nine, including a quadruple bogey on No. 5. But he rebounded with a 33 on the back, smiling and egging on his supporters after making three straight birdies. Nicholas flipped his putter and caught it out of the air after missing a par putt on No. 18. Perhaps he thought that would cost him the weekend, but he ended up making the cut right on the number at 7 over. Executive visit Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro stopped by for Friday's second around and declared his state to be 'the golf capital of the United States.' He'd surely receive some pushback on that, but Pennsylvania has been quite popular to the USGA. This is the 95th USGA championship held in the commonwealth, the most of any state. Oakmont is hosting the U.S. Open for a record 10th time. 'It's a sense of pride for Pennsylvania, and particularly western Pennsylvania, to know that this is the course that's been chosen more than any other for a U.S. Open,' Shapiro said. 'It's also big business. It means our hotels and our restaurants, our bars are filled because of this. It also opens up people's eyes to the beauty of western Pennsylvania, the great culture of western Pennsylvania.' Hastings hangs around Justin Hastings shot a second straight 73 to become the lone amateur to make the cut. The 21-year-old Hastings is the first player from the Cayman Islands to compete in the U.S. Open. He earned his spot by winning the Latin America Amateur in January in Argentina. That win also got him into the Masters, where he missed the cut by two strokes but was the top amateur. Hastings just finished his senior season at San Diego State, where he won the Mountain West individual title. Hoping for some help The rainstorm near the end of the second round was significant enough to halt play, and there's a chance for more of that over the weekend. That could be welcome if a softer course becomes a bit more manageable. 'It was starting to look like another day of hot, dry weather and the weekend would be very difficult out here,' said Adam Scott, who is three shots off the lead. 'There were certain greens that had a slickness about them and a firmness too. Fairways even getting a little bit like that. So the rain might keep it under control, hopefully, and spare us some frustrations.' ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Brian Burns, Shane Bowen Hint at Giants' Plans for Abdul Carter
Brian Burns, Shane Bowen Hint at Giants' Plans for Abdul Carter originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Giants, for once, have found a problem they are happy to solve. Trading for edge rusher Brian Burns ahead of the 2024 season and pairing him with first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux made for an explosive Giants pass rush. Only eight teams finished with more sacks, but general manager Joe Schoen added even more firepower to the unit. Advertisement With the third pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, New York drafted blue-chip edge rusher Abdul Carter, arguably the best player in the class. The result is one of the league's best crops of edge rushers, and combined with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, one of the most talented units in the sport. This pass rush is the backbone of the team's hopes. Subsequently, optimizing three players for two spots is going to be defensive coordinator Shane Bowen's most important task this summer. During minicamp, the Giants hinted at their creative plans to unleash Carter on opposing offenses. 'Ultimately, we want to get our best 11 on the field, whatever way we got to maneuver to do that,' Bowen said, via team transcript. 'We got to find ways to get the guys that can impact the game on the field. Advertisement 'So there is some versatility there. With Abdul, he did a little bit of that stuff off the ball in college early in his career, so there is some versatility there and some versatility with what we could potentially do with Burns as well.' Carter has just a year of experience as a full-time edge rusher, playing off-ball linebacker for much of his Penn State tenure. That skill set earned him comparisons to his predecessor, Dallas Cowboys superstar Micah Parsons. In the same way that Parsons takes occasional snaps in the box, Carter could see extra playing time. Mugging the A-gap can get him favorable matchups on centers who aren't equipped to take on dynamos off the edge. More frequently, the Giants seem poised to use Carter (and perhaps both Burns and Thibodeaux) as the defensive tackle next to Lawrence. Used on passing downs, this gives extra potency to potential stunts and gets the team's four best pass rushers on the field at the same time. Advertisement 'Yeah, very, I mean, because you could do a lot,' Burns said. 'I mean, we're all similar but different in a way. You know what I'm saying? So, we can interchange and we can really add a lot of versatility to any of our third-down packages or just the game in general. So, yeah, it's exciting.' The pass-rush synergy that comes with an All-Pro defensive tackle, a Pro Bowler in Burns, and two other first-round picks is hard to fathom and nearly as hard to game plan against. Teams can't double-team all of them, and New York can comfortably send four to generate pressure. Burns summarized the Giants' surplus aptly. 'It's kind of like pick your poison. And then we have a Dex, so…' Related: Edge Rusher Rankings Set High Bar for Giants Related: Carter Reacts to Joining Giants' Loaded Line This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
San Francisco Chronicle
11 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Giants' Matt Chapman to start rehab for sprained hand in a week
LOS ANGELES (AP) — San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman can begin rehabbing his sprained right hand in a week. He visited Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles on Friday and was told he has to wear his splint until then, the team announced. The Giants were in town to open a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. Chapman got hurt sliding into first base against Atlanta last Sunday. He went on the injured list two days later and is eligible to return on June 20. The 32-year-old infielder indicated he could be on a faster track. Melvin added that until Chapman starts rehabbing, it's tough to forecast a return date. Chapman was batting .243 with 12 home runs, 30 RBIs and seven stolen bases. The five-time Gold Glove winner signed a $151 million, six-year deal last year.
