WASHINGTON DC — The handshake line that took place at the end of Friday’s game has become the new normal for the Giants. An incident that happened less than 10 minutes earlier could also be part of the story this season.
Before the end of the ninth inning, Nationals shortstop Alcides Escobar went to the away dugout and yelled at Giants players and coaches. It was unclear what was being said, but the trigger was clear.
With two outs at the top of ninth place, Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada started by a six-barrel lead from first place. Brandon Crawford dropped a single into outfield and Estrada rounded out third and attempted to score. He was kicked out, but it wasn’t hard to figure out what upset the Nationals.
Nationals shortstop Alcides Escobar and center fielder Victor Robles weren’t happy after Thairo Estrada tried to steal second base and score on Brandon Crawford’s single in the top of the ninth inning pic.twitter.com/90RdgRGUGz
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 23, 2022
The old “unwritten rules” had come back into play.
The Nationals were upset that Estrada started with a six-run lead, an odd attitude considering how all the runs were scored in the Giants’ 7-1 win.
“We scored seven runs in one inning tonight,” said manager Gabe Kapler. “They have Josh Bell and Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz in the middle of their lineup, we know they’re capable of putting in seven runs in an inning too. ”
It’s solid logic. And yet, for the second time in two weeks, Kapler found himself on the other end of a hostile opponent. He then repeated what will likely become a familiar message.
“For the same reasons we talked about before, we think this is the most sensible way to attack a series,” Kapler said. “We’re not about a game, it’s definitely not about scoring points. We felt that we respect our opponents and we will respect our opponents at every turn. The point here is to use every tool at our disposal to complete it. I think you saw their bullpen was excellent and they put a bunch of zeros in our way. We know they are a talented group and capable of it and we have to try to compete at every turn.”
The Nationals didn’t stop competing, of course. Estrada got kicked out, and the very next play Juan Soto hit a grounder first and smashed him so hard down the line that he nearly hit the sack for Brandon Belt.
Maybe Soto had some anger in those moves, but the Nationals shouldn’t have taken anything personally. Soto and the heart of the lineup are exactly why the Giants should have kept up the pressure and did.
Kapler went eight innings without his strong arms, but what if Soto and Cruz led the ninth inning and Bell, who hit 27 bombs last year, hit a homer? Kapler should have pushed Tyler Rogers or Camilo Doval into play, or at least forced some of his most valuable helpers to warm up.
There’s no point in slacking off, so the Giants will keep pushing. They know opponents will be angry at times, although Nationals manager Dave Martinez wouldn’t go into detail after the game.
When asked what happened to Alcides Escobar in the ninth, Dave Martinez said the Giants did some things the Nationals didn’t like and otherwise we could ask Gape Kapler. He declined to elaborate further.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) April 23, 2022
Escobar declined to speak to reporters, but at the other clubhouse, Austin Slater said he felt Escobar “walked toward our dugout, I think, went a little over the line.”
RELATED: Slater finds “boast” after early-game chat with Kapler
The Giants moved on quickly, hoping there would be no repercussions for the remainder of that series. They know this won’t be the last time they deal with it.
“It’s part of the old-school unwritten rules, or whatever you want to call them, that I think people still hold by,” Slater said. “I think those times are over and you have to play to the end.”
Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast