Patrick Bailey is showing SF Giants a version of himself they never got to see

There’s a case to be made that the SF Giants were justified in trading away Patrick Bailey, but with each clutch playoff home run he hits it becomes a harder case to make. Bailey hit a game-tying home run for the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS versus the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night, showing that the clutch hits he had when he was in San Francisco were far from an aberration.

Bailey’s homer tied the game and the Guardians went off in the late innings, winning the contest 7-3 to take Game 1 on the road. This comes after Bailey had some heroics in the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox when he hit a home run and go-ahead single with Cleveland facing elimination.

What may be the biggest shame in all of this is the fact that Bailey never got an opportunity to shine in the playoffs with the Giants. San Francisco had a shot to make the playoffs in 2023 but they fell off towards the end of the season. Bailey himself had a big second half drop-off his rookie year so even if the team had made it to October it’s doubtful he would’ve had a huge impact.

2025 provided another chance but the team’s summer swoon proved to be too much to overcome. Bailey came on strong by the end of the season and had arguably his most clutch moment in San Francisco when he hit a walk-off grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers which kept the team’s playoff hopes alive in September.

Bailey had a number of clutch hits with Giants

Even though Bailey was a below-average hitter with the Giants, he seemingly always found a way to come up with the goods late in games when a clutch hit was needed. We all remember the grand slam against LA and the inside-the-park walk-off against the Philadelphia Phillies, but seemingly throughout his career he would come up with the goods in big spots.

Some hitters just thrive better when the stakes are higher and Bailey seems to be one of those guys. Now that he’s finally getting a shot in the playoffs it makes complete sense that he is coming up with clutch hits.

At the same time, it is notable how his offense has improved since being traded to Cleveland. Part of it may just be the fact that he is now in a more hitter-friendly park, but it wouldn’t be a shock if the coaching staff in Cleveland has played a role in elevating him at the plate. 

We will see if he can continue to come through in the clutch this postseason and the Giants will just be left to wonder what could have been had they made it to the playoffs with Bailey. 

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