Robbie Ray Dominates, Lee's 414-Foot Blast Sinks Athletics 3-1
Robbie Ray threw 8.0 innings of two-hit, zero-run ball, and Jung Hoo Lee's 414-foot home run to right center in the second inning set the tone for a 3-1 San Francisco win over the Athletics on June 24. The story of the night was a Giants team that looked nothing like the club that just got swept by Miami — at least for one evening.
Lee's homer was the decisive blow before most fans had settled in. In the second inning, he sent one 414 feet to right center, putting San Francisco ahead 1-0 and swinging the home win probability from 61% to 71% — an 11-point jump on a single swing. The Giants weren't done in that frame: Matt Chapman singled to left, scoring Willy Adames to make it 2-0, though Chapman was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. It was an aggressive, slightly reckless half-inning that nonetheless put San Francisco firmly in control.
The Athletics clawed one back in the third when Max Muncy singled to left, scoring Thomas to cut the deficit to 2-1. That's when the game appeared to tighten — but Robbie Ray simply refused to let it unravel. He went on to complete 8.0 innings, allowing just 2 hits and 0 earned runs while striking out 6. Four walks kept things slightly uncomfortable, but Ray never surrendered another run. On the other side, Aaron Civale lasted only 4.0 innings, giving up 6 hits and 2 earned runs before the Athletics turned to their bullpen. Matt Krook and Jose Suarez combined to hold San Francisco scoreless through the middle innings, but the damage was already done.
Rafael Devers — who has been at the center of some off-field noise this week after an incident involving manager Tony Vitello — delivered the dagger in the seventh, singling to center to score Eldridge and push the lead to 3-1. It looks like Devers answered whatever questions were swirling around him the only way that matters: with a hit in a key spot. Tyler Soderstrom went 2-for-4 for the Athletics and was one of the few bright spots in an offense that managed just 1 run against a left-hander who was simply untouchable. San Francisco's 3-1 final was tidy, efficient, and built exactly the way a pitching-first team should build a win.