Matt Chapman helps preserve Giants' 3-2 win over Angels with ugly but effective defensive play
Associated Press
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
recommended
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
8 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Shedeur Sanders is preaching patience as he settles in as the Browns' 4th-string QB
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Shedeur Sanders is used to his every move being scrutinized. But one thing he hasn't been accustomed to is not getting all the snaps in practice. In his first couple of months in the NFL, Sanders has had to learn what life is like as a fourth-string quarterback. 'I'm managing it real well,' Sanders said Tuesday after the Cleveland Browns completed their first practice of their mandatory minicamp. 'I would say it's just a mindset, this adjustment. You got to go and understand the situation that you're in and be able to approach that and get the best out of it. You could view things as you're not getting reps in a negative way, or you could view it as, OK, when is my time to get out there? Let's be proactive and let's get going.' Sanders has shown steady progress since he was selected in the fifth round (144th overall) by the Browns and reported for the team's rookie minicamp on May 9. With Joe Flacco's workload reduced on Tuesday, Sanders got his first extensive snaps in full-team drills during practices that were open to the media. On the final snap, Sanders connected with Luke Floriea on a skinny post route while under pressure. One highlight came during a 7-on-7 drill when he threw a deep ball up the right sideline to Gage Larvadin with cornerback Dom Jones in coverage. Another big adjustment for Sanders is trying to get through his progressions quicker so that he avoids sacks. Sanders was sacked 94 times over his last two seasons at Colorado, the most by a QB in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and that contributed to his drop in the draft. 'It's definitely going through the progressions and getting comfortable and knowing the ins and outs of everything. So, when you go on the field, I already have a different type of confidence by myself, regardless,' he said, adding that when training camp begins, 'I'll be there.' Coach Kevin Stefanski said going through progressions is a bedrock of offensive efficiency, but mastering that skill can take time. 'Being able to get through a progression is not as easy as it sounds. Your eyes are studying the defenders and seeing what they're doing, and then ultimately, you're listening to your feet,' Stefanski said. 'To quote an old Gary Kubiak line, you have a prescribed drop for a play, and that drop, and those hitches will take you where the ball is supposed to go.' While some Browns fans would love to see him start the Sept. 7 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals — or soon thereafter — Sanders said his goal is to become as polished as he can. 'I got time to be able to grow and mature and be able to understand the ins and outs of the defenses and be able to get the good insight from the vets in the room,' he said. 'So, I look at it as a plus. I got time to actually be able to really have a great understanding. And whenever, you know, it's time for me to play, then it's time for me to play. 'But I'm not looking too far in the future about all that. I'm looking about every day in practice because I had some misses out there today that, you know, we got to go in there and correct, reads getting in and out drops a little bit faster from under center. So that's the main thing. I'm focused on the small things, and over time, the big things will happen.' One questions Sanders did not answer was about the health of his father — Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders. The elder Sanders has not attended football camps at Colorado and discussed some health challenges on a recent podcast. ___ AP NFL:
Hamilton Spectator
11 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Tar Heels players embrace new world as part of coach Bill Belichick's first college team
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Shipp remembers the conversation with his roommates after learning Bill Belichick was North Carolina's new coach. 'It was just like, 'That's the greatest coach of all time,'' the receiver recalled, ''and he's about to be a coaching us.'' Belichick's arrival has triggered plenty of change for the Tar Heels, who are making a big bet on the man who won six Super Bowls as an NFL head coach to spark their football program . No one knows that better than the players — both the holdovers and the transfer-portal arrivals — after months of Belichick overhauling the roster and building the foundation on his first college team. North Carolina players hadn't spoken to reporters since last year's team ended its season with a Fenway Bowl loss to UConn three days after Christmas, all of which came after Belichick had been hired as coach for the 2025 season. So Tuesday marked the first time UNC had made players available to reporters since then to discuss Belichick's arrival. That has meant being coached by someone with a long track record of success at the sport's highest level, along with getting a peek behind the terse and grumpy persona he was known for with the New England Patriots. Defensive back Will Hardy said the players are used to curiosity that comes with being coached by the NFL lifer now giving college a try. 'There's a lot of that, you get a lot of 'How is Coach Belichick? What's new? What's different?'' Hardy said. 'So I've rehearsed these questions a lot with family and friends.' Formative stages The school hired Belichick in December to elevate the program at a time when football's role as the revenue driver in college sports has never been bigger. He and general manager Michael Lombardi have described their goal as building a pro-style model at the college level. It's been a key pitch as the 73-year-old Belichick made his first foray onto the recruiting trail, as well as the volume of players transferring in and out of the program. Belichick's first on-field work in Chapel Hill came during spring workouts, lodged between portal windows in December and April. 'Look, these are great kids to work with, they really are,' Belichick said Tuesday. 'We've had great buy-in. There have really been no problems at all. These guys are on time, they're early, they work hard, they put in the work in the weight room, out on the field. They spend time on their own, whether it's doing extra training or coming over and watching film and that type of thing. 'They've made a ton of improvement and these guys are a lot better than they were when we started in January, on every level. So it's exciting to see where that's going to take us.' Enticing opportunity For the players, part of the adjustment had been the reality that their coach was winning Super Bowls with quarterback Tom Brady while they were growing up and watching on TV. Intimidating much? 'I mean, maybe at first when you see him, all you see is the Super Bowls that he's won,' said offensive lineman Christo Kelly, a Holy Cross transfer and Belichick's first portal commitment. 'But when you get here and you see the way he cares, you see the way that he approaches the game, you see how hard he works, there's no question why he has the success that he has. 'The attention to detail, the emphasis on fundamentals, and really just kind of creating competition for the guys, that's what's getting built here. Guys are embracing it. He treats everybody with tremendous respect and it's been great.' Defensive back Thad Dixon had met Belichick before when he was at Washington, playing under Belichick's son Steve — now the Tar Heels' defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. The two shared a few conversations then, and he jumped at the chance to head east. 'I really just wanted the opportunity just to learn from somebody like that, that had did it in the league for so long,' Dixon said. Behind the curtain Yet not every surprise has been about X's and O's. Sometimes it's simply when Belichick has dropped the all-business facade to expose an unexpectedly humorous side. 'I feel like that's the biggest curveball, you're coming to the first meeting and you're expecting it to be serious, 100% locked in,' said Shipp, who played 12 games for UNC last season. 'He comes in and he introduces himself and then he busts a joke. That's the second thing he said.' Hardy pointed that vibe, too. 'There are times when he'll just crack a joke out of nowhere,' he said. 'And just him being kind of monotone sometimes will make those jokes so funny.' Still, Hardy noted it's mingled amid the work, such as film sessions when 'there's no hiding' when Belichick highlights a mistake. UNC opens the season on Labor Day against TCU in a college version of Monday Night Football. 'I've loved having 1-on-1 conversations with him,' Hardy said. 'It's cool to see and meet him personally, because you grow up and see him on TV and everything. And he's just a completely different coach and guy when you get to be around him all day. It's cool.' ___ AP college football: and
Hamilton Spectator
11 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
England sweeps T20 series against the West Indies after Duckett's 84 sets up 37-run win
SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) — England completed a 3-0 sweep of the Twenty20 international series against the West Indies after smashing 248-3 en route to a 37-run win in Southampton on Tuesday. Put into bat for what proved a high-scoring third and final match of the series, England racked up its second-highest total in the format as Ben Duckett made a 46-ball 84 and put on 120 for the opening wicket with Jamie Smith, whose 26-ball 60 included five sixes. England delivered its highest-ever score after 10 overs of a T20 — 135-1 — and never let up, with captain Harry Brook (35) and Jacob Bethell (36) sharing an unbroken stand of 70 in 5.1 over to help set an imposing target of 249. The Windies never really got close on a good batting track though still made a commendable 211-8 after slipping to 70-4 after 7.1 overs. Rovman Powell was the top scorer for the tourists with an unbeaten 79 off 45 balls, and captain Shai Hope had a 27-ball 45. England also won the ODI series between the teams by a 3-0 margin, marking an ideal start to the white-ball captaincy for Brook. England's focus switches to test cricket now, with a highly anticipated five-match series against India starting June 20. ___ AP cricket:
