SAN FRANCISCO — It was an afternoon that stubbornly would not end, a 12-inning Mother’s Day affair that felt less like a heavyweight bout and more akin to a game of chicken.

The Giants and Pirates, over the extra frames, exchanged Houdini-esque escape acts. They got into trouble, then they slithered out of it.  And the 391st and final pitch of the afternoon, it was rookie catcher Jesús Rodríguez, just a day after the team traded Patrick Bailey, who delivered a walk-off single and a 7-6 win.

“I think this team needs to play and needs to keep finding moments to build on and recreate today — I don’t want to recreate today,” said manager Tony Vitello, after snapping a three-series losing streak. “I’d have a heart attack.”

Rodríguez’s bloop single that scored Heliot Ramos may have been the one to end the game, but that moment wouldn’t have been possible without a laundry list of contributions along the way.

There was, of course, Rodríguez, who redeemed himself after making a throwing error in the first and striking out swinging with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th with a chance to win the game.

There was shortstop Willy Adames, who delivered a two-out, two-run, game-tying single in the bottom of the 10th inning, one of his three hits on the day.

There was left-handed reliever Ryan Borucki, who bounced back from a shaky Saturday outing to deliver two scoreless innings against his former team.

There was fellow lefty Sam Hentges, who made his first appearance in the majors since July 10, 2024, and recorded the final out of the seventh inning.

There was Matt Chapman, who delivered a game-tying RBI double back in the sixth despite entering play in a brutal 1-for-30 slump.

There was Ramos, who scored the game-winning run and hit a no-doubt home run in the bottom of the fourth.

“It’s not going to just be one swing or one win that just catapults you,” Vitello said. “It’s going to be a grind and stick together that took place today. … From my experience, a walk-off win is about as good of a team-builder as you can find.”

“I’ve been on teams where stuff like this — big wins like this that kind of takes everybody — just flips the script,” Borucki said. “I was in Seattle in ’22. We got in a huge brawl with the Angels and we rattled off 14 in a row. We went from being in last place to first place. It can happen at any time. I live by the term, ‘It’s never too late to get hot.’ It’s a long year, and we just need to take this momentum into the series against the Dodgers.”

For all of the contributors on Sunday, Vitello praised right-hander JT Brubaker, another former Pirate, for starting to warm up in preparation for a potential 13th inning.

Brubaker was initially unavailable after throwing 30 pitches on Saturday, but after Borucki’s two innings of work, Brubaker was the only real option left. Matt Gage didn’t pitch either, but he wasn’t an option since Sunday would’ve been his third straight  appearance.

What would’ve Vitello done if Brubaker pitched the 13th and the game still hadn’t ended? The ball would’ve likely ended up in the hands of outfielder Drew Gilbert, who pitched for Vitello at Tennessee.

“That’s one of like 17 things you could mention that were stressful,” Vitello said.

With his game-winning single in the 12th, Rodríguez ensured Vitello didn’t have to break the emergency glass of using a position player in a close game.

Rodríguez’s single landed well in front of Pirates right fielder Ryan O’Hearn, but Ramos had to scramble home to beat the throw.

While Rodríguez knew the ball was going to land, Ramos said the ball hung in the air and wanted to be completely sure that it touched grass. And once Ramos touched home, the Giants fans who remained for all three hours and 51 minutes of ball unearthed a cathartic scream to celebrate the win.

“I feel like it’s a big win for us, especially coming from behind a couple times,” Rodríguez said. “Everybody was together. Everybody’s been together since I got here. It’s great. I feel like everybody’s going in the same direction, so I feel like we’re going to get out of this struggle.”

To Rodríguez’s point, the Giants spent much of Sunday afternoon playing catch-up.

The Pirates took a 2-0 lead with runs in the first and second, but the Giants matched them with runs in the third and fourth. Pittsburgh took a 4-2 lead by scoring a run apiece in the fifth and sixth, but Ramos and Chapman tied the game in the sixth with a pair of RBI singles.

San Francisco, once again, trailed by two runs in the bottom of the 10th and was in real danger of falling 10 games below .500 for the first time since 2019, but Adames extended the game by roping a single to left field. Luis Arraez jogged home, and Christian Koss, pinch-running for Rafael Devers, scored the tying run.

The Pirates put runners at the corners with no outs in the top of the 11th, but Borucki entered from the bullpen and wiggled out of trouble. Borucki got the first out by striking out Oneil Cruz, then turned an inning-ending 6-3 double play. Brandon Lowe lined out and Henry Davis, who was running on the pitch, was doubled up at first.

“The good thing for me is I have scouting reports in my head that no one else here knows because I was on that team,” Borucki said. “I’ve seen those guys for three years, so I know probably better than anybody here what their strengths and weaknesses are. Our boys made good plays behind me.”

Borucki, who allowed a run on Saturday, went out for a second inning and kept the game tied with a scoreless 12th. That set the stage for Rodríguez, in his fifth major-league game, to deliver his first career walk-off.

“I think we kind of know what Buster (Posey) saw in order to acquire him, and it’s what everybody sees when you watch him,” Vitello said. “Its impossible not to see the attributes that he has.”

Worth noting

Right-hander Tyler Mahle continued his odd “good start, bad start” trend by surrendering two homers and allowing four runs over 5 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts and two walks.

In odd-numbered starts this season, Mahle has allowed two earned runs over 22 innings (0.82 ERA). In even-numbered starts, he has allowed 22 earned runs over 19 2/3 innings (10.07 ERA).