SAN FRANCISCO – In Saturday’s loss to the visiting New York Yankees, one of the key plays from the game was a grand slam hit by Gary Sanchez off San Francisco Giants starter Derek Holland in the top of the fifth inning. The four-run explosion burst the game wide open, pushing the Yankees’ lead from 2-0 to 6-0, and despite a late offensive push from the Giants, it was smooth sailing for the rest of the game for the Yankees.
After the game, pitcher Derek Holland answered some questions about his performance on the mound, talking about the pitch that turned into a grand slam.
When asked if he made a mistake, Holland said Gary Sanchez just made a good play.
“We called the right pitch,” Holland said. “That’s on me more than anything. Buster called an outstanding game, so I don’t think anything was wrong there. We were cruising. The big thing was I think was that I lived on one side of the plate more than I have in the past. But again, that’s on me. I agree with everything Buster threw down; there’s no regrets to that.”
Holland said he’s most upset about letting his team down.
“I gotta do a better job of executing more away,” he said, “but it just sucks that that one pitch took away the whole game, and those guys fought back for me. That’s why I’m upset the most; those guys fought back and put up the runs. You take away that grand slam, and it’s probably a different ballgame.”
Despite the result, Holland defends the pitch he threw, and says he doesn’t regret going after Sanchez.
“It was in the right spot,” Holland said of the grand slam pitch. “That’s where I was going. We were calling for a ride back in, and when I looked at the video, it was right on the white line. It’s a good pitch. When you live in one area, it’s easier for those guys to make the adjustment of covering one side.
“Something I was always told by an old pitching coach was you’re one pitch from greatness, and one pitch from humility. This is just one of those times it was humility.”
The Giants will look to avoid a sweep tomorrow afternoon with right-hander Derek Rodriguez on the mound.