All is well in the Bay Area as Bahamian first base coach Antoan Richardson and the San Francisco Giants won seven in a row going into yesterday’s double-header against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants were the hottest team in the league prior to yesterday’s double-header. They took down the Dodgers 10-8 in extra innings on Tuesday night.
With just over half of the 60-game shortened season gone, the Giants now sport a 15-16 win/loss record. The visible Richardson is certainly playing his part, assisting both batters and baserunners with instructions from his first base position.
Going into the games yesterday, the last time the Giants lost was against the Los Angeles Angels on August 19. They fell 7-6 in the first game of that series, but came back to win that four-game series three games to one. During their seven-game winning streak, they won three straight against the Arizona Diamondbacks and are now very much in the wild card race in the National League.
On Tuesday night against the Dodgers, the Giants needed 11 innings to take down their divisional counterparts in what turned out to be a back and forth game. They erased a deficit four times on their way to the victory.
After the ninth inning, the score was tied at six. The Dodgers went up 8-7 heading into the bottom of the 11th inning but then it was Richardson’s Giants turn to bat.
With the score tied at eight and with second baseman Donovan Solano at the plate and Evan Longoria on first base, Solano sent a 2-1 pitch over the fence. He hit a line drive walk-off two-run home-run to left center field to give the Giants the dramatic come-from-behind victory.
The seven-game win streak has boosted their playoff odds from 3.3 percent to 39.7 percent.
The Giants went through a rough period earlier in the season, going winless for five games.
Their game against the Dodgers on Wednesday night was postponed. The teams refused to play as a protest against the shooting of African American man Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, by a white police officer.
The postponement was in line with action take by other leagues on Wednesday. The Milwaukee Bucks refused to take to the court in the playoff game against the Orlando Magic in the
National Basketball Association (NBA) leading to a postponement. The other games that night were postponed as well, as well as games in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Major League Soccer (MLS).
The Giants posted on Twitter: “Throughout our country’s history, sport has been a powerful vehicle towards change. The Dodgers and Giants proudly join our players in the shared goal for a more equitable and just society.”
In the first game of the season on August 1, Richardson took a knee during the national anthem. He told reporters he was happy that the conversation about social injustice was taking place.
“I think the reality of it is being a black man, we have these conversations all of the time and with a lot of different people in the clubhouse,” Richardson said. “I just think the spotlight is on it a little bit more now and so I don’t necessarily think we’re having conversations more; I think the spotlight is on it more. I’m glad that we’re having these conversations, but it brings me back to the change of heart that we’ve got to get to now.”
He said that he wants to have a better understanding of the views of all.
“I want to have great empathy for the views that I can’t understand and gain more of an understanding, and for me to be more compassionate to the people who come before me,” Richardson said.
The Giants and the Dodgers were set to complete their four-game series with that double-header yesterday. No scores were available up to press time.
They are in action again today, traveling to Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, to take on the Diamondbacks. That game is scheduled for a 9:40 p.m. start time.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/richardson-giants-win-seven-in-a-row/
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