Brisbee: Joe Panik’s come-from-behind walk-off hit is rarer than you might think
From SABR member Grant Brisbee at The Athletic on May 21, 2019:
Joe Panik drove a pitch right into the ol’ Joe Panik hole on Tuesday night, giving the Giants an unlikely walk-off win against the Braves. It’s impossible to have a boring, uneventful walk-off win. Even walk-off balks are interesting. But this walk-off is probably something you should appreciate just a little bit harder.
One of my favorite factlets in Giants history is that the 1985 team, the only one in franchise history to lose 100 games, had 15 walk-off wins. That’s the most in San Francisco history. Sixty-two wins, 15 walk-offs. Almost a quarter of their wins ended with a dogpile in front of an inebriated Candlestick crowd. It almost made the whole season worth it.
So, yes, this is a franchise that’s seen walk-offs. They’re one of the only teams to have a walk-off inside-the-parker, and out of five pennant-winning walk-off homers in baseball history, the Giants have two of them.
Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/989378/2019/05/22/joe-paniks-come-from-behind-walk-off-hit-is-more-rare-than-you-might-think/
Originally published: May 22, 2019. Last Updated: May 22, 2019.