The platoon saloon is open for business and the San Francisco Giants are feasting.
It’s not often a manager would pull a power-hitting outfielder who has already homered early in a game in favor of a pinch-hitter in the late innings, but that’s exactly what Giants manager Gabe Kapler did in the bottom of the seventh of Tuesday’s game against the Mariners.
With left fielder Alex Dickerson due up, Kapler sent pinch-hitter Darin Ruf to the plate against Mariners left-hander Alex Misiewicz. All Ruf did was blast a hanging curveball into the left center field bleachers for a go-ahead home run in the Giants’ 6-5 victory.