The 0-2 slider Camilo Doval threw to Pavin Smith may as well have fallen off the face of the earth.
The pitch Smith hopelessly waved at broke 38 inches vertically and seven from right-to-left. It completed a no-hit, two strikeout inning that extended Doval’s scoreless appearance streak to 14.
With his electrifying ninth inning, Doval earned his second career save in as many nights. He closed the door on the Giants’ San Francisco-era record 104th win. The 24-year-old has displayed a fastball that routinely exceeds 100 mph and a slider that makes hitters like Smith look foolish.
“He’s got electric stuff,” Wednesday’s starter Alex Wood said of Doval. “He came up and got a taste of the big leagues earlier in the year. He’s a cool cat. He got banged up a little bit earlier in the year when he first came up. Went back down and worked on his craft…He’s going to be a big boost for us. His stuff is crazy.”
Doval spent all of June and July in Sacramento. It’s now impossible to envision a Giants team in October without him.
Earlier in this unhittable stretch, Doval navigated out of a bases loaded situation with no outs by striking out Manny Machado and forcing a double play. Pitching coach J.P. Martinez playfully checked his pulse when he returned to the dugout. Doval had arrived.
“I just go out there and I don’t let the moment get to me,” Doval said postgame.
That was Sept. 22. In five innings since then, Doval has struck out seven batters and walked none. He’s only grown more confident and more effective. He’s struck out 16 batters while walking three in 12.1 September innings while becoming the youngest Giant to record a save since Rod Beck in 1992.
“Any time you have a guy that can throw a 102 mph fastball, it’s not a comfortable at-bat,” Kris Bryant said. “He has big, long limbs going everywhere, and I’m sure the guys in the box aren’t feeling too comfortable. I love watching him pitch. He’s been great, and hopefully he can keep it up for us.”
When asked before Wednesday’s game if Tyler Rogers is still the most likely reliever to face an opponent’s most dangerous hitters, manager Gabe Kapler said “sometimes” — a departure from previous thinking and decisions.
And when the ninth inning came around Wednesday, in a one-run game with Arizona’s 2-3-4 hitters due up, Kapler turned to Doval. He’s earned that trust. For a second-straight night, he delivered.
Doval struck out the leadoff man Henry Ramos on four pitches — two fastballs and two sliders. Then he drew a sharp line-out to right field, a rare barreled ball. Finally, he got Pavin Smith to bite on a slider low and away.
Kapler said the outing was “as good as he’s been all year.” He threw eight of his 10 pitches for strikes and knew when to deliver his slider in or out of the zone.
During spring training, Doval said he felt confident with his fastball command, but not so much with his slider. By making adjustments at the Triple-A level, he says he can now consistently throw his breaking ball for a strike or a ball, whichever the count and situation demands.
The rookie needed 10 pitches for the 1-2-3 ninth. The six fastballs he threw averaged 99.6 mph. Hitter swung at three of the four sliders he hurled, whiffing on all of them.
Doval has been compared by some to Francisco Rodriguez. Rodgriguez was 20 when he made his major league debut in 2002 for the Angels. He pitched 5.2 scoreless September innings before tying the record for postseason wins (five) en route to a World Series win.
Doval was five at the time. But he’s aware of the analogy.
“It’s a good comparison,” Doval said. “I’m just hoping that I have the same outcome.”
Doval is now 24, in the thick of one of the craziest division races of all time. Both the Giants and Dodgers could feasibly win at least 105 games, something that’s never been done in the divisional era (since 1969).
His elite performance has come as closer Jake McGee is sidelined with an oblique injury. McGee threw a bullpen Thursday and is nearing a return. The 31-save closer will likely still handle ninth inning duties, but if he’s unable to recover well enough from his oblique injury, is Doval ready to handle ninth innings?
“I’m ready for that and whatever the manager wants,” Doval said.
