Chapman's grand slam propels Giants to victory over Rockies

Justice delos Santos, The Mercury News on May 3, 2025

Published in Baseball

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SAN FRANCISCO — On the afternoon of May 4, 2024, Kendrick Lamar, to the shock of the music industry, released the diss track “Not Like Us,” the victory lap to his historic rap beef with Drake. The song became omnipresent, a true instant classic. Matt Chapman made it his walk-up song shortly after, and the record continues to blare throughout Oracle Park roughly four times per game.

And on Saturday afternoon, nearly a year after Lamar made music history, there was nothing minor about Chapman’s game-saving swing.

Chapman’s third career grand slam — and his second home run in as many days — flipped a deficit into a lead, rescuing the Giants from an embarrassing loss to the last-place Colorado Rockies. Instead of an afternoon of agony, San Francisco (21-13) escaped with a 6-3 win over Colorado (6-27) thanks to Chapman’s own victory lap around the bases.

The Giants entered the bottom of the sixth trailing the Rockies, 3-1, after Jordan Hicks allowed three runs in the top of the frame and recorded no outs.

Hicks cruised through his first five innings and didn’t allow a hit until the fifth but immediately ran into trouble when he walked Brenton Doyle to start the sixth inning. Hicks started the next hitter, Jordan Beck, with back-to-back balls, necessitating a mound visit from catcher Patrick Bailey and third baseman Matt Chapman. Beck singled to put runners on first and second with no outs, and the Rockies were in business.

Pitching coach J.P. Martinez visited Hicks following Beck’s single, which allowed reliever Randy Rodríguez to get loose. The Giants, soon enough, would need Rodríguez’s services. Hicks allowed a game-tying single to Ryan McMahon and his afternoon was suddenly over.

Rodríguez inherited runners at the corners with no outs but he was unable to put out the fire. The right-hander allowed both runners to score on RBI singles from Hunter Goodman and Farmer, the later of which deflected off Rodríguez’s foot, and the Giants found themselves trailing 3-1.

With the possibility of a second loss to Colorado looming, San Francisco’s offense finally found much-needed life.

Three of the Giants’ first four batters in the sixth — Luis Matos, Mike Yastrzemski, Willy Adames — drew walks. Jung Hoo Lee cut the deficit to 3-2 by lining a sharp single to center field to drive in Matos, whose solo homer in the third inning was San Francisco’s only run up to that point.

With the bases still full, the Rockies’ Jake Bird left a sinker right over the heart of the plate. Chapman sent it 402 feet into the Rockies’ bullpen, flipping a one-run deficit into a three-run lead — a lead they’d never lose as Camilo Doval, Erik Miller and Ryan Walker pitched three scoreless innings.

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