SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants tied a team record Saturday when they went 20 consecutive innings without putting a run on the board to open the season, before breaking through with their first score in the third inning during their matchup with the New York Yankees.
The Giants had been blanked by New York in consecutive games, losing 7-0 and 3-0 while managing just four hits across both contests — marking the first occurrence in Major League Baseball history of a team starting a season with such offensive struggles.
Jung Hoo Lee kicked off the third inning Saturday by smacking a double to right field off pitcher Will Warren, followed by Matt Chapman delivering an RBI single that sent the home crowd into a frenzy as supporters leaped from their seats in clear relief.
First-year skipper Tony Vitello, who was elevated from his position at the University of Tennessee despite lacking any professional playing or coaching background, joined an exclusive group as the ninth manager in baseball history to see his team shut out in both of his initial two games, and the seventh to experience this during his first two games overall, based on Sportradar data.
The streak of 20 innings without a run equaled the franchise record established in 1909, when the Giants failed to score for 13 innings in their season opener and the opening seven innings of their second game.
The San Diego Padres remain the only franchise to suffer three consecutive shutouts to begin a campaign, which occurred in 2016 when Los Angeles swept them en route to a disappointing 68-94 record.
