by
Greek Giant

I spent the last two days traveling between Venice, Rome, and now Miami. It’s nice to be back in the land of baseball and hot dogs! The Giants won their Cactus League Game on Sunday, 9-6, beating the Angels of Arte Moreno. Thairo Estrada and J. D. Davis each had three hits. Casey Schmitt went 2-4 and is now batting a crisp .441 in the Spring. Logan Webb went  4 1/3 innings to start the game and gave up four runs on six hits while recording six strikeouts and walking two. It was not his best start, particularly since the Angels were without Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout who are playing in the World Baseball Classic. The win gives the Giants a 9-12 record for the Spring.

Romo Retires a Giant

Sunday’s game was also significant for another reason: It was officially Sergio Romo’s last appearance in a Major League uniform as he retired a Giant. It was a nice gesture by the Giants and it was appropriate for the #ForeverGiant to end his career as a San Franciscan. Bravo to both parties.

The Giants were off yesterday.

Injuries & Roster Moves

Here are the latest roster moves, courtesy of MLB.com:

March 19: LHP/INF Ronald Guzmán and RHP Sam Delaplane reassigned to Minor League camp
Guzmán was sidelined by a left pronator strain on March 14 and was expected to miss six to eight weeks. The 28-year-old signed a Minor League contract with the Giants on Jan. 16.

Delaplane had two scoreless relief outings this spring, but struggled in two outings that ballooned his ERA to 12.27 over 3 2/3 innings. The 27-year-old underwent two shoulder surgeries in 2021, including Tommy John.

World Baseball Classic Semifinal: Japan Rallies Past Mexico

Last night, in front of a sold-out crowd at Marlins Park in Miami, Japan won a World Baseball Classic semifinal for the ages, rallying in the ninth inning to beat Mexico, 6-5 and advance to the final against Team USA (my tournament pick to win it all). It was a sensational game and MLB.com has the full report and video highlights. It was the kind of game that will make the WBC stick and become a fixture in worldwide sports.

Today’s Game

The Giants play the Dodgers at 1:05 PM in Phoenix.