SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The announced attendance of 9,418 on Sunday afternoon at Scottsdale Stadium rose to its feet, an uncommon occurrence in the laidback Cactus League environment. This was a mere mid-March exhibition during the final week of spring training, but the vibe was akin to a regular-season affair.
It’s not every day, of course, that a perfect game is on the line.
Alas, those rooting for niche history in the desert soon traded their prospective cheers for the visceral groans. The Giants were one out away from pulling off a combined perfect game against the Milwaukee Brewers, but instead settled for a 7-1 victory, losing the perfect game and no-hitter (and shutout) in a span of two batters.
Right-hander Gregory Santos, who hasn’t pitched since Feb. 27 due to a personal matter, retired the first two batters in the top of the ninth inning before walking Cooper Pratt. The no-hitter was still intact, but Blake Burke immediately followed up with a double down the right-field line that scored Pratt.
Burke, a former star at De La Salle High, coincidentally played for Giants manager Tony Vitello at Tennessee and helped the Volunteers capture a national championship in 2024.
“He was a big reason why (we won),” Vitello said of Burke’s contributions in Knoxville. “His reaction, if you watch the last pitch, was pretty special. It’s pretty sincere, and you can’t react like that unless you have a big heart and your heart is in the program. He was a fun one, but not today.”
“If fall scrimmages count, then no,” said Burke when asked if he had ever played against Vitello. “But that was my first time.”
Before the ninth inning, Robbie Ray, Carson Seymour, Tristan Beck and Matt Gage combined to keep the Brewers entirely off the basepaths through eight innings.
Ray, the No. 2 starter in the Giants’ rotation behind Logan Webb, began the afternoon by retiring the first 15 batters and totaling eight strikeouts. In his last outing against the Cincinnati Reds, Ray threw four no-hit innings with four strikeouts but walked four batters.
“I felt really good with my slider,” Ray said. “I felt like I made some big strides with it today. I felt like I could throw it in any count. It just felt normal again, which is great. Honestly, the biggest thing is I wasn’t having to think about anything.”
Before the thought of a perfect game began to form, infielder Christian Koss preserved the perfecto in the top of the third inning with an incredibly difficult play. With one out, the Brewers’ Blake Perkins sent a pop-up into shallow right field. Koss tracked the ball down while running backward, went into a slide and reached out for the ball. The ball popped out of his glove, but Koss stayed with the play to make the catch.
“It was awesome because of how he just turned,” Vitello said. “He turned like a madman and went. There was no drifting. You always hear coaches yell from the dugout, ‘Don’t drift.’ He turned and ran full speed. Then, the SportsCenter part to it was fun to see.”
Following Ray’s departure, Seymour handled the sixth inning, Beck recorded the next five outs and Gage retired the lone batter he faced to finish off the eighth. After Santos allowed the two-out walk and double, the Opening Day hopeful struck out José Anderson swinging.
“To me, Santos just needs reps,” Vitello said. “He had a family deal that he takes care of. Then, in general, experience-wise, if you look where he’s come from over the last 12 months, he just needs to get out there.”