NLCS: Petit’s grand performance in Game 4 quite a relief for Giants
SAN FRANCISCO — The best nine innings that Yusmeiro Petit has ever pitched came on Sept. 6, 2013, when the right-hander came one out from pitching a perfect game against the Diamondbacks before settling for a one-hitter.
The second-best nine innings that Yusmeiro Petit has ever pitched came over the past week and a half, a two-hitter in which he recorded two of the biggest wins of the Giants’ playoff run.
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Petit, who pitched six innings of one-hit ball in Game 2 of the NLDS in Washington — the 12th through the 17th innings of a game that the Giants won in 18 — worked three innings of scoreless relief Wednesday night, again allowing just one hit, as San Francisco earned a 6-4 comeback win over the Cardinals to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven NLCS.
“It’s my first time in the postseason,” Petit said. “I throw the ball down, throw all my pitches. That’s probably the best part of my life, being in the postseason and winning two games here. … I’ve thrown nine innings, given two hits to two different teams that have played very well in Washington and the Cardinals. … You have to be almost perfect, because (if) you miss pitches, you have to pay.”
Almost perfect in the regular season a year ago, Petit’s near-perfection in the playoffs is something at which to marvel. He has faced 32 batters in the postseason, striking out 11 (four on Wednesday night) while allowing four walks (one intentional) to go with the two hits. He has allowed one runner to reach second base, and that was in his first inning of work.
“We’ve asked him to go out there and do some pretty difficult things at times,” said Giants right-hander Tim Hudson, who started that game in Washington. “He’s stepped up and pitched like nobody else could have, probably. He’s really stepped up. He really has. The job he done in Washington was absolutely remarkable. If he doesn’t do that job, who knows, we may not be here. But that’s what we’ve expected from him all year. He’s been a guy that’s been able to go out there and pitch those tough innings, get us into some games whenever our starter may stumble a bit early, and give us a chance to win late.”
That was what happened Wednesday as the Giants moved one win from their third pennant in five years and a World Series date with the American League champion Royals. Petit’s performance in Washington paved the way for San Francisco to prevent Washington from tying that series. His work bailing out starter Ryan Vogelsong in Game 4 of the NLCS allowed the Giants to rally and prevent St. Louis from forging a tie.
San Francisco’s winning three-run rally in the sixth was set up by the player who pinch-hit for Petit. Matt Duffy laid down a sacrifice bunt in the highest-leverage moment of the game. Getting runners to second and third meant that Juan Perez could score on a ground ball to first baseman Matt Adams to tie the game, followed by Brandon Crawford doing the same to give the Giants the lead.
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Without Petit’s turn in relief to stem the tide after the Cardinals had jumped on Vogelsong for four runs in three innings, none of that ever happens.
“That’s quite a comeback, and it all starts with Petit,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Vogey was a little bit off, and you need your long guy to go out there and hopefully give you some innings, a couple of innings there. You know, he gives you a chance to come back, which we did, and also allows you to still have your guys that you want to use late in the ballgame. So, Petit saved us with his effort tonight.”
Petit’s bullpen mates certainly appreciated the effort. After the 29-year-old from Venezuela left the game, Jeremy Affeldt, Jean Machi, Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla combined to keep the Cardinals scoreless on three hits over the final three innings. San Francisco’s bullpen ERA for the playoffs, already a strong 2.22 at the start of the night, dropped to a scant 1.83.
“I think what makes Petit great is he has a four-pitch mix,” said Lopez, who got perhaps the biggest out of the night when he got Adams to ground out to end the top of the seventh. “He’s able to repeat his delivery better than anybody right now, and when he’s got that, he’s got that deception, he kind of jumps to the plate a little bit, but he’s consistent with his arm angle, and he’s been able to locate all his pitches. He’s not going to wow you on the radar gun, but he’s got the ability to mix up the speeds and keep the batters’ timing off. You’re seeing what he can do right now.”
It’s enough to make you think that maybe he could start on a regular basis, and considering he held opponents to a .697 OPS over his final six starts of the year after rejoining the rotation, you would have a case. Petit, though, is happy right where he is, embracing the challenge of helping his team in some of its biggest moments.
He’s already been through a lot. A former big prospect with the Mets who was part of a trade for Carlos Delgado in 2005, Petit did not get much of a chance with the Marlins before they traded him to the Diamondbacks in 2007. By the end of 2009 he was bounced out of the majors, and he did not return until he made a spot start for the Giants in 2012. Petit appeared eight times for San Francisco last year, including the near-perfecto, before finally getting a real chance as a swingman this year, with 12 starts and 27 relief appearances.
“You know, I’ve learned a lot in baseball,” Petit said. “Right now, I feel more comfortable, because the Giants gave me the chance to come back here after three years. Right now, it’s the best part of my life. I’m relaxed, I work, I’m comfortable. Right now, it’s a special moment for me.”
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