Having taken the first step on his journey, Griffin Conine gets a chance to continue pursuit of his father’s home run total when the Miami Marlins visit the San Francisco Giants for the finale of a three-game series Sunday afternoon.
Home runs by Conine and fellow rookie Connor Norby did most of the damage as the Marlins drew even in the series with a 4-3 victory Saturday night.
The loss cost the Giants a chance to gain a game on three of the six teams ahead of them in the race for the three wild-card playoff berths in the National League. San Francisco (68-69) begins the final month of the season 6 1/2 games out of the final spot.
Conine’s home run came in his 14th major-league at-bat. A 27-year-old in his fifth big-league game, Conine got a big-time jump on his dad, Jeff, who went his entire first two seasons — a total of 111 at-bats — without a homer before finally getting his first in his 61st career game.
The son’s shot appeared headed for the San Francisco Bay before crashing into the right-field foul pole. The result was the keepsake remained dry and moved him within 213 of his dad’s big-league total of 214, set over 17 seasons.
A seven-year-plus member of the Marlins, Jeff Conine hit 120 homers for the organization, the eighth most in franchise history.
Griffin Conine had played in 585 minor-league games before getting his first promotion earlier in the week in Denver. In his five games, he’s hitting .250 (4-for-16) with three extra-base hits and three RBIs.
His move to the majors, and the newcomer’s immediate success, has helped take some of the sting out of a disappointing season for the Marlins.
“The main thing with Griff is he earned it,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “I’m just really happy for him, because it took him a while to get here, and I think it’s even more special when that happens.
“It just puts things in perspective sometimes when you’re at this part of the season and you haven’t won a ton of games and not where you wanted to be. And then you see him come in and super-excited and smiling. You realize that this guy just accomplished his dream.”
If Conine gets another start Sunday, it will come against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball, Giants right-hander Logan Webb (11-8, 3.24). The All-Star is unbeaten in his past seven starts, a stretch in which he’s gone 4-0 with a 2.28 ERA.
Webb is 1-1 with a 2.67 ERA in five career starts against the Marlins.
The Marlins (50-86) are set to go the bullpen route in the series finale as they attempt to fly home with a winning record on a seven-game Western swing. Right-hander Darren McCaughan (0-0, 8.62) is expected to get the start after five relief appearances in the big leagues this season, two of them with the Cleveland Guardians.
He has never faced the Giants.
Needing every possible win, the Giants lost for the third time in their past four games Saturday. This one was hard to swallow, manager Bob Melvin said afterward.
The difference-making run scored after the Marlins’ Otto Lopez was ruled safe at second base on a steal attempt in the seventh inning despite having been tagged out by Giants shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald. Second base umpire Ryan Blakney said that Fitzgerald, whose foot was in front of the middle part of the base, illegally obstructed Lopez’s slide.
Two groundouts brought Lopez around to score.
“I don’t know how that affects the play,” Melvin said. “He’s sliding to the back part of the bag. Yeah, (Fitzgerald’s) foot’s in front of part of the bag. But when he’s sliding to the back of the bag, you’re trying to make a tag and it doesn’t affect the play. There should be some feel with that (call).”
-Field Level Media