The Giants just pulled off the rarest walk-off in baseball history

Patrick Bailey, welcome to the history books.

If you’d never heard of Bailey before Tuesday night, you certainly know his name now. The San Francisco Giants’ third-year backstop crushed a walk-off, three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, though this blast looked different than most walk-offs.

Bailey’s ball didn’t leave the yard. Instead, it hit the top of Oracle Park’s right field wall and bounced back towards center field, rolling past Phillies outfielders Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos.

The result? Bailey became the first catcher since the Washington Senators’ Bennie Tate to hit a walk-off, inside-the-park home run; Tate accomplished the feat on Aug. 11, 1926, nearly a full century ago—and over 30 years before the then-New York Giants left for San Francisco. 

“Off the bat, I just knew I got it well,” Bailey told reporters. “And then obviously, I saw it was towards Triples Alley. I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to go. I’ve got to at least get to third here.’ 

“And then once I saw the bounce,” Bailey continued, “I was like, ‘All right, just don’t fall over.’”

Bailey is the first player to record a walk-off, inside-the-park homer since former Cleveland Guardians outfielder Tyler Naquin in August 2016. He’s also only the third catcher to achieve the feat, joining Tate and the Chicago Cubs’ Pat Moran, who established the exclusive club in August 1907.

Longtime outfielder Ángel Pagán was the most recent Giant to end a game with an inside-the-park home run, doing so in May 2013.

Pagán, though, was a speed threat who recorded two 30-steal seasons in an 11-year career. We can’t say the same for Bailey, and he acknowledged as much after the Giants’ 4-3 victory. 

“A lot’s got to go right for me to hit an inside-the-park homer,” Bailey quipped, telling reporters that he was “tired” following the viral moment. According to Major League Baseball, Bailey rounded the bases in 16.59 seconds.

As of publication, over 1.3 million people had watched the official MLB X/Twitter account’s clip of Bailey’s historic walk-off. 

Who is San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey?

It’s been a tough season offensively thus far for Bailey, and we’ll see if Tuesday marks a turning point. Bailey entered Wednesday batting only .194 with two homers, 26 RBIs, and a .553 OPS.

Bailey’s plate discipline is especially concerning for a Giants team with playoff aspirations. He’s struck out 75 times against only 19 walks, and his .260 on-base percentage is well below the league average (.316). 

There is no indication that the Giants will switch catchers and move Sam Huff or Andrew Knizner into the starting lineup. Major League Baseball does not list a single catcher in its top-30 Giants prospect rankings.

Bailey, the No. 13 pick in 2020, is a lifetime .225 hitter with 17 homers, 120 RBIs, and a .620 OPS.