The dive + no-look flip. Are you kidding me, @JoePanik?! #SFGiants
Beware the #crawnik pic.twitter.com/Oc2EmYshKj
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) March 28, 2018
SAN FRANCISCO – Aah, it’s good to be back.
San Francisco Giants baseball has returned to AT&T park, and with that, an infield that boasts multiple gold gloves. Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey, and now Evan Longora all bring some serious defensive hardware with them to the defensive side of the ball.
Tuesday night when the Giants hosted the Oakland Athletics in the second game of this year’s Bay Bridge Series, Joe Panik flashed the leather that earned him his award back in 2016.
With one on and one out in the top of the third inning, Marcus Semien ripped a ball up the middle and under the glove of Giants’ starter Chris Stratton. Panik dove to stop the ball just past second base, landing on his stomach. Panik rolled over to his back and causally flip the ball to a waiting Brandon Crawford for the out.
Even with the ever-mounting pitching injuries the Giants are dealing with before the start of their 2018 campaign, the team has to find comfort in it’s all-world infield defense.
San Francisco kicks off the season on the road Thursday in Los Angeles, where Ty Blach will be faced with the unfortunate task of pitching against Clayton Kershaw (in the regular season, at least). After a four game series in Southern California, the Giants return to AT&T for the home opener Tuesday, April 3 against the Seattle Mariners.