SAN FRANCISCO — The right-field wall at AT&T Park was built 24 feet high to honor San Francisco Giants great Willie Mays, and the real estate atop the brick wall is in rarified air. Which is to say an eight-hitter’s uppercut probably won’t crash-land a baseball up there most nights.
Gregory Polanco isn’t an average eight-hitter.
His two-run, fourth-inning home run one-hopped into McCovey Cove and put the Pirates ahead for good in a 8-5 win Monday night. Polanco rewarded manager Clint Hurdle for starting him against a left-hander, the Giants’ Matt Moore, with a four-RBI performance in the series opener.