SF Giants' Top 5 moments of 2026, No. 4: Victor Bericoto's unlikely walk-off

While it was not a good year for the SF Giants, it’s worth trying to be at least a little positive about things. We already took a look at one of the best moments of the season and now it’s time to take a look at another highlight: Victor Bericoto’s walk-off home run.

This came all the way back in June against the Athletics. The score was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning and it seemed like the game was going to go into extra innings, but Bericoto got a hanger out over the middle of the plate and he absolutely belted it to straightaway center field.

While Bericoto had already made it clear that he had power by that point in the season, it was still a little unexpected. If someone had told me Bericoto would hit a walk-off homer for the Giants this season back in February, I might have asked who Bericoto was.

This wasn’t quite as unexpected as the Blake Sabol walk-off home run when the Giants were down to their final out or the Brett Wisely walk-off homer against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it may be on a list of most unexpected walk-off homers in recent Giants memory. If negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA drag into June I may have to write that list.

The walk-off also had somber undertones for Bericoto given the fact that an earthquake had impacted his native Venezuela just before the walk-off homer and actually resulted in his brother's girlfriend passing away. At least he got to have a really special moment amidst that sadness.

Giants may lean on Bericoto heavily in 2027

It might be a bit of a stretch to say that this home run from Bericoto is what made the Giants confident enough to trade away Heliot Ramos, but while Ramos was out Bericoto certainly showed the Giants that he has a similar profile.

He hit .241/.267/.420 with five home runs and 15 runs batted in across 41 games and even had some defensive miscues and some mistakes on the bases which only reinforced the Ramos comparisons.

Bericoto will need to get that on base percentage up if he wants to stick, but he should be given a chance in 2027. If the Giants focus all their resources on upgrading the pitching staff in the offseason and choose to pretty much roll with what they have on the position player side, Bericoto will factor into the equation.

Guys who hit walk-off homers like that get remembered. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be San Francisco’s Opening Day left fielder for the next decade, but that big moment from 2026 helped put him on the map. Now he has to take the next step forward and improve the other parts of his game besides the power stroke.

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