SAN FRANCISCO — Blake Sabol had heard the advice before, but never from the man who is MLB’s all-time leader in home runs.
A few hours later, the rookie catcher hit a pair of monster home runs in a five-RBI effort that nearly single-handedly led the Giants to a victory, if not for a meltdown by their All-Star closer, Camilo Doval.“I got my first hitting lesson with Barry today,” Sabol said. “He was talking about me diving in towards the plate a bit, something that brought to my attention. He had a batting practice thrower move to the side and had me stand up with my posture, which freed up my body.
San Francisco Giants’ Blake Sabol #2 hits a two-run home run off Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo #33 in the fourth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, July 3, 2023. Mariners righty Bryan Woo But his body stayed still while his hands rotated immediately, and he smacked the fastball 407 feet to dead center field for a two-run homer that temporarily put the Giants ahead, 2-1.This time there were two runners on and two outs. The Giants were down three. He had two strikes on him again and he knew if he tried lunging at a slider by Mariners closer Paul Sewald, the ballgame was over.“He can get on top of the ball can’t he?” marveled Giants manager Gabe Kapler.