Matt Chapman helps preserve Giants' 3-2 win over Angels with ugly but effective defensive play
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Matt Chapman rarely feels panicked on defense — you don't win five Gold Glove Awards and two Platinum Glove Awards by showing any fear in the field.
But that's exactly what the San Francisco Giants third baseman felt in the bottom of the ninth inning on Saturday night when, with a runner on first base, one out and the Giants leading the Los Angeles Angels by a run, Logan O'Hoppe swung at a 3-0 pitch from Ryan Walker and sent a ground ball to third.
'I got set up a little late because I was trying to fix this divot that was out there by third base,' Chapman said after the Giants' 3-2 victory. 'Walker came set super fast, so I was kind of back-pedaling. I honestly didn't think he would swing at the 3-0 pitch. Then he swung, and it was hit right at me, so I think that kind of caused a little panic.'
Chapman, who hit a two-run home run to give San Francisco a first-inning lead it would not relinquish, stumbled as he broke for the potential double-play grounder, which was hit to his left.
Chapman fell to his knees, fielded the ball cleanly and, still on his knees, made a long throw to first that barely beat O'Hoppe to keep the potential winning run off base.
'It was not that fun,' Chapman said of the sinking feeling he had when he stumbled and fell to the ground. 'I'll just call timeout the next time and tell (Walker) to step off instead of trying to take a guess that he's not gonna swing at a pitch. Luckily I was able to save it, but that could have been ugly.'
Walker got Mike Trout, who hit solo homers in the fourth and sixth innings, to fly to the wall in left-center for the first out of the ninth before giving up a single to Jorge Soler, who was replaced by pinch runner Tim Anderson.
Anderson took second on O'Hoppe's grounder. Walker then got Nolan Schanuel to fly out to left to end the game, preserving the win for right-hander Landen Roupp, who gave up two runs and five hits, striking out a career-high nine, and walking one in seven innings to improve to 2-1.
'Nobody makes that play,' Giants manager Bob Melvin said of Chapman. 'It looks like a double-play ball off the bat, and then all of a sudden, you're hoping to get one.
'I don't know how he pulled that one out of his hat to be able to get a throw across the diamond for an out, which was huge. (Otherwise), there are two runners on base, one out and a different complexion to the inning.'
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A.J. Greer is making his Stanley Cup Final debut for the Florida Panthers in Game 3
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A.J. Greer is back in for the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night after missing the first two in the series against the Edmonton Oilers because of injury. Coach Paul Maurice confirmed Greer would return on Florida's fourth line. Jesper Boqvist comes out of the lineup to make room for Greer, who will be making his first career appearance in the final. 'It's definitely a dream come true, but I'm not really trying to focus on that,' Greer said after the team's morning skate. 'It's another game for me and I'm just trying to enjoy it, but I'm not trying to associate anything bigger than just my next shift, really.' Greer, 28, gutted through injury for part of this playoff run before exiting in the Eastern Conference final against Carolina when it was clear he wasn't healthy enough to stay in. Maurice lauded Greer for his lack of selfishness and an abundance of self-awareness to understand when the pain threshold was reached and do what's best for the team. 'Good on him for recognizing that,' Maurice said. 'We were fortunate that we were able to heal A.J. to a place that he's really confident in what he's doing. ... He's been such a positive part of what we do.' Greer almost wasn't here at all. A little over four years ago, he was languishing in the minors and almost giving up on his NHL dream. 'I was pretty much 24 hours away from just calling it, going to Europe and trying to just get a paycheck, trying to squeeze out every dollar that I can out of this sport and then live my life,' Greer said. 'Fortunately, things kind of bounced my way.' Greer was essentially a throw-in as part of a trade to the New Jersey Devils that got the New York Islanders Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, who helped them reach the East final. Greer — who was a second-round pick of Colorado in 2015 and played 37 games for the Avalanche from 2016-18 — developed some confidence with the American Hockey League's Utica Comets and cracked the Devils' roster a few times. Agent Philippe Lecavalier challenged Greer over whether he wanted to be an AHL player or adapt his style to be a role player in the NHL. 'You could say I wanted to try to prove him wrong,' Greer said. 'I kind of just went day by day, got better mentally, physically and matured with my game. I understood if I wanted to ever play in the NHL again, the way I have to play and the things I have to do — and I got a chance, so I'm very grateful for that. It all led up to here.' At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, Greer has been a physical force for Florida as the Panthers try to repeat as champions. He is one of the newcomers, along with their leading scorer in the final, Nate Schmidt, and teammates are happy to have Greer back. 'He's a pain to play against,' Evan Rodrigues said. 'He's a guy that can change the momentum of a game. He's heavy on the forecheck. For the most part, I don't think you want to get hit by him. He's a really good presence for us. And he chips in offensively. He lays the body. Just overall a pain the neck to play against.' That came with time and trial and error as Greer learned how to have an impact with limited ice time. This spring brought his first taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and he has made the most of his nearly eight minutes a game. 'My game's grown, especially this year,' Greer said. 'My confidence has grown, and I'm ready to take on the biggest challenge that I've really faced in my career.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
Hamilton Spectator
35 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
A.J. Greer is making his Stanley Cup Final debut for the Florida Panthers in Game 3
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A.J. Greer is back in for the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night after missing the first two in the series against the Edmonton Oilers because of injury. Coach Paul Maurice confirmed Greer would return on Florida's fourth line. Jesper Boqvist comes out of the lineup to make room for Greer, who will be making his first career appearance in the final. 'It's definitely a dream come true, but I'm not really trying to focus on that,' Greer said after the team's morning skate. 'It's another game for me and I'm just trying to enjoy it, but I'm not trying to associate anything bigger than just my next shift, really.' Greer, 28, gutted through injury for part of this playoff run before exiting in the Eastern Conference final against Carolina when it was clear he wasn't healthy enough to stay in. Maurice lauded Greer for his lack of selfishness and an abundance of self-awareness to understand when the pain threshold was reached and do what's best for the team. 'Good on him for recognizing that,' Maurice said. 'We were fortunate that we were able to heal A.J. to a place that he's really confident in what he's doing. ... He's been such a positive part of what we do.' Greer almost wasn't here at all. A little over four years ago, he was languishing in the minors and almost giving up on his NHL dream. 'I was pretty much 24 hours away from just calling it, going to Europe and trying to just get a paycheck, trying to squeeze out every dollar that I can out of this sport and then live my life,' Greer said. 'Fortunately, things kind of bounced my way.' Greer was essentially a throw-in as part of a trade to the New Jersey Devils that got the New York Islanders Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac , who helped them reach the East final. Greer — who was a second-round pick of Colorado in 2015 and played 37 games for the Avalanche from 2016-18 — developed some confidence with the American Hockey League's Utica Comets and cracked the Devils' roster a few times. Agent Philippe Lecavalier challenged Greer over whether he wanted to be an AHL player or adapt his style to be a role player in the NHL. 'You could say I wanted to try to prove him wrong,' Greer said. 'I kind of just went day by day, got better mentally, physically and matured with my game. I understood if I wanted to ever play in the NHL again, the way I have to play and the things I have to do — and I got a chance, so I'm very grateful for that. It all led up to here.' At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, Greer has been a physical force for Florida as the Panthers try to repeat as champions. He is one of the newcomers, along with their leading scorer in the final, Nate Schmidt , and teammates are happy to have Greer back. 'He's a pain to play against,' Evan Rodrigues said. 'He's a guy that can change the momentum of a game. He's heavy on the forecheck. For the most part, I don't think you want to get hit by him. He's a really good presence for us. And he chips in offensively. He lays the body. Just overall a pain the neck to play against.' That came with time and trial and error as Greer learned how to have an impact with limited ice time. This spring brought his first taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and he has made the most of his nearly eight minutes a game. 'My game's grown, especially this year,' Greer said. 'My confidence has grown, and I'm ready to take on the biggest challenge that I've really faced in my career.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Man City signs left back Aït-Nouri from Wolves ahead of Club World Cup
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City signed Algeria left back Rayan Aït-Nouri from Wolverhampton for a reported fee of 37 million euros ($42 million) on Monday. City has been deploying center backs Nathan Ake and, more recently, Josko Gvardiol at left back in recent seasons but now has a specialist option in Aït-Nouri, who is a very attacking full back. Advertisement The 24-year-old Aït-Nouri joined Wolves from French team Angers in 2020. 'City are one of the biggest clubs in the world,' he said, 'and the chance to play for the club is a dream come true.' His contract at City runs to 2030 and he will be available for the new-look, 32-team Club World Cup, which starts on Saturday. City is in the same group as Juventus, Al Ain and Wydad Casablanca and its first match is on June 18. ___ AP soccer: The Associated Press
