The waters of McCovey Cove slosh and splash just 24 feet beyond the right-field wall here at AT&T Park, beyond the towering, angular brick barrier, beyond the walkway filled with pedestrians on a sunny Wednesday afternoon.
The waterway — officially named the China Basin Channel, unofficially named for the Giants’ Hall of Famer — offers a veritable test for sluggers and a seductive target for any hitter who stands in the batter’s box here. In how many stadiums on earth can you take a swing and try to hit a baseball into an actual bay?
On Wednesday afternoon, in the Royals’ 7-2 victory over the Giants, it was third baseman Mike Moustakas’ turn to step into the box and take aim for the basin.