SAN FRANCISCO — In a respect, it’s appropriate that a season featuring so many highs and so many lows ended with the Giants right in the middle.
81 wins. 81 losses. Perfectly even.
This is the space that the Giants have occupied since winning a franchise-record 107 games four years ago. In ’23 and ’24, they finished just below .500. In ’22 and ’25, they finished exactly .500. And for the Giants, this season, one that ended with a 4-0 win over the Colorado Rockies, qualifies as the most frustrating of them all.
Logan Webb was not hyperbolic on Tuesday night following the Giants’ elimination from postseason contention when he said “this is the most talented team I’ve been on.” There is legitimacy to that statement given the composition of this roster. But objective wins — not subjective talent — determine who competes for a championship and whose season ends in September.
The Giants, for their part, ended their season with positive vibrations.
Webb struck out eight batters over 5 1/3 innings, finishing his season with a 15-11 record, 3.22 ERA and 224 strikeouts over 207 innings, the most in the majors. The two-time All-Star becomes the first Giant to lead the National League in both innings and strikeouts since Bill Voiselle with the 1944 New York Giants.
Willy Adames homered on the first pitch he saw, becoming the first Giant to hit 30 homers in a single season since Barry Bonds.
Rafael Devers became the first player to play 163 games in a season since Justin Morneau in 2008, capping off his first season as a Giant by hitting his 35th home run of the season.
Along with the personal accolades, Wilmer Flores received a proper sendoff.
Flores, an impending free agent, was replaced on defense by top prospect Bryce Eldridge prior to the third inning and received a standing ovation as “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts blared throughout the ballpark. With Devers and Eldridge in the mix, Sunday afternoon likely marked Flores’ final game in a Giants uniform.
If this is it for Flores, the 2022 Willie Mac Award winner ends his six seasons in San Francisco with a .249 batting average, 92 homers and 313 RBIs over 667 games.
“He’s such a great teammate for this club ever since he’s been here,” Melvin said pregame. “He’s a quiet leader. I’m sure he doesn’t have a lot to say to you guys, but he does in the clubhouse. … Then, to acclimate to whatever role he has to deal with. He was basically our main run producer.
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“Devers comes in, it’s a different role for him. Dom (Smith) comes in, it’s a different role for him. Eldridge comes in, it’s a different role for him. To acclimate to that and not complain about it with the numbers he’s put up this year shows that he is the consumate teammate. I have as much respect for Wilmer Flores as anybody I’ve ever met.”
All those fuzzy feelings helped mask the reality, if only temporarily, that this team failed to meet their collective expectations of playing baseball in October — that the team has failed to make the postseason in eight of their last nine seasons.