San Francisco Giants: The Biggest Moments From Departed Giants
September 28, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants second baseman Kelby Tomlinson (37, left) congratulates pinch hitter Alejandro De Aza (45, right) for hitting the game-winning sacrifice fly during the 12th inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park. The Giants defeated the Dodgers 3-2 in 12 innings. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Alejandro De Aza had the shortest tenure with the Giants of these players at just over a month, and it was as memorable as it was long. De Aza was mostly depth, playing just 24 games and taking 75 plate appearances for the Giants, who were one of De Aza’s three teams in 2015, along with the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox. On September 28th, De Aza did what every Giant player should strive to do: Beat L.A.
On that day, the Giants and their archrivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, met with one team’s season on the line. The Giants entered the day six games behind the Dodgers with seven games left to play, and a loss to Los Angeles would ensure the Giants would miss the postseason. The scrappy Giants fought hard against the powerhouse Dodgers, and in the 12th inning, the two teams were knotted at a 2-2 score.
The 12th inning, the game’s final frame, would prove to be a microcosm of the weirdness the Giants experienced in the 2015 season. Marlon Byrd, an August waiver trade acquisition, singled to lead off the inning. Kelby Tomlinson, a middle infielder who began the season in Double-A Richmond, followed with another single to move Byrd over to third base. The pinch-hitter De Aza, another August waiver trade acquisition, launched a flyball to left field, deep enough to allow Byrd to score the game-winning run to beat L.A. De Aza was swarmed by his teammates, celebrating the fact that for another day, the Giants still had the slimmest of chances to pull of a miracle.
Next: Nate Schierholtz Returning to the United States with Tigers
That miracle never happened, as the Giants were beaten the next day and the Dodgers clinched the NL West at AT&T Park. De Aza is a New York Met now, earning a one-year deal, and he will likely go down as one of those “he played for the Giants?” players.