Reds Erupt for Six in the Ninth, Stun Giants 10-9

Cincinnati trailed 9-3 heading into the ninth inning and scored seven runs to steal a 10-9 win over San Francisco on August 26. The rally was capped by a walk-off single from Stephenson, scoring McLain with the go-ahead run.

For eight innings, this looked like San Francisco's game to lose — and then they lost it. The Giants built their lead methodically: Jonah Cox's 421-foot two-run homer to center in the second swung the home win probability from 52% to 74%, and San Francisco never looked back through the middle frames. Rafael Devers added a 414-foot shot to right in the fifth to make it 4-2, Shay Whitcomb went deep to left center in the sixth to push it to 6-2, and Drew Gilbert's two-out double to center in the eighth plated three more to give SF a seemingly comfortable 9-3 cushion. At that point, the math looked brutal for Cincinnati.

Then the ninth inning happened. Hector Rodriguez led it off with a solo homer to right — his second of the night, 423 feet — to make it 9-4. That was the spark. Eugenio Suarez followed with a grand slam to left center, a 401-foot shot that scored De La Cruz, Stewart, and Bleday, suddenly cutting the deficit to 9-8. The Giants, who had looked so composed all night, were now scrambling. Trevino's sacrifice fly to right tied it at nine. Then Stephenson singled to left, McLain crossed the plate, and just like that Cincinnati had a 10-9 lead it would not relinquish.

The story of the night was the Reds' refusal to fold, but it's worth noting the pitching context that made the comeback necessary in the first place. Nick Lodolo lasted just four innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits. Julian Garcia gave up two more in two innings of relief. On the other side, Logan Webb was sharp — six innings, five hits, two earned runs, six strikeouts — and the Giants' bullpen held a six-run lead into the ninth before it all unraveled. Rodriguez finished 3-for-6 with two home runs and two RBI; Suarez went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBI. For San Francisco, Whitcomb, Devers, and Cox each homered, and Gilbert's three-RBI double looked like the dagger. It wasn't. This one appears to be a gut-punch the Giants will be thinking about for a while.