Flores homered against three different pitchers, launching a third-inning grand slam off lefty JP Sears (concluding a 10-pitch at-bat), hitting a sixth-inning three-run homer off Michel Otañez, and then blasting an eighth-inning solo shot off Anthony Maldonado, all on fastballs across the plate. For a guy who has driven in a lot of runs with so-so exit velocity, he smoked the ball on each swing: 106.8 mph, 99.6 mph and 99.3 mph.
“A true professional, my favorite player,” said Logan Webb, who wasn’t the headline despite pitching one of his finest games of the season and reaching eight innings for the first time. “I’m so happy for him.”
Making Friday’s story more significant was the popular sentiment over the winter that the 33-year-old Flores wouldn’t make the team after his dreadful, injury-marred 2024. The narrative has changed. Now the Giants couldn’t imagine this season without him.
“I feel I have a lot to give still to the game,” he said.