VIllar's two blasts lead SF Giants to finale win

The ups, downs and trying times of the 2022 SF Giants season have come to an end.

Playing as a team having already been eliminated from playoff contention days before - against a playoff-bound San Diego Padres squad - the Giants rode a fourth-inning outburst and two David Villar home runs to a dominant 8-1 win Wednesday afternoon that cemented their record at 81-81, an even .500.

The Padres scored in the first against opener John Brebbia, and the Giants finally answered in the third as Lamonte Wade Jr. singled, stole second, advanced to third on a slow groundout and scored on Mike Yastrzemski's single to center.

After two pitches in the fourth, San Francisco had the lead. Brandon Crawford singled to right on the first offering from Craig Stammen, and Villar stepped up next with a blast to left on the right-hander's second pitch of the frame.

The Giants weren't done in the inning. Ford Proctor walked in a full count and Joey Bart looped a hit into right. After a pitching change, Wade Jr. punched the ball through the middle of the infield to score Proctor. Wilmer Flores also reached with a hit of his own, and Yastrzemski followed a strikeout with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1.

Big flies open up the game in the final innings

The final three innings of the Giants season saw a single run each frame. Austin Slater hit his seventh homer of the season in the seventh inning, Villar's second of the day and ninth of 2022 extended the lead to 7-1 in the eighth, and Crawford drove in Jason Vosler on a sacrifice fly in the ninth for the final tally.

On the mound, seven Giants hurlers combined for four hits allowed, the one first-inning run, one walk and 12 strikeouts. Brebbia tossed the first and was followed by two perfect innings from Yunior Marte, who earned his first Major League victory. Alex Young struck out three in an inning and two-thirds and Cole Waites came on for the last out of the fifth.

Left-handed journeyman Andrew Vasquez made his Giants debut with two scoreless and four strikeouts across the sixth and seventh, then Tyler Rogers and Luis Ortiz finished up with an inning apiece.