SAN FRANCISCO – Brett Wisely hit a pair of walk-off home runs when he was in the minors earlier this season. Now he has his first in the big leagues, and it couldn’t have come against a more appropriate Giants opponent.
Wisely’s two-run drive off Blake Treinen in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Giants to a 5-3 victory over their Southern California rivals and NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.
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“Against the Dodgers, big rivalry, that was just an unbelievable moment,” Wisely said after fueling the Giants’ seventh walk-off win of the 2024 MLB season, a smash that sent a crowd of 40,052 at Oracle Park home on a good note.
Wisely has come up with big moments quite frequently since getting called up in early May. The home run was his seventh extra-base hit since June 10 and raised his average to .304, second among Giants regulars behind LaMonte Wade Jr.’s .331.
Wisely did a fairly solid job holding down the fort at shortstop when Nick Ahmed was out hurt. With Thairo Estrada now on the injured list, Wisely is likely going to be the Giants’ every-day second baseman until Estrada returns.
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“He’s been playing short great. He’s been getting big hits for us; he’s led off, hitting down in the lineup,” manager Bob Melvin said, ticking off some of the benefits that Wisely has provided. “[The home run is] one in his career that he’s never going to forget. That's big a homer against these guys.”
Wisely isn’t known much for his power swing. He only hit more than four home runs during three seasons at the Triple-A level and had a .339 career slugging percentage in the majors before crushing the Dodgers’ dreams with his walk-off blast Friday.
“I was trying to see something in the zone, just get on base if I can,” Wisely said. “Got a good pitch to hit up in the zone and put a good swing on it.”
Wisely admitted that moving back to second base, even though it’s his main position, will take some adjusting. He misplayed a couple of hard-hit grounders against the Dodgers, including one that initially was scored as an error before getting changed to a hit later.
“It’s different, but it feels natural,” Wisely said. “You don’t go after balls as much over there because you have a shorter throw. I did get a couple balls just jump up on me [Friday], which is not what I’m used to but kind of part of it.”
His attitude, work ethic and production have helped make Wisely a popular figure in the Giants’ clubhouse, one that was rocking with dance throbbing dance beats after Wisely’s heroics.
“He’s been awesome; he’s a grinder,” Giants pitcher Logan Webb said. “He goes out there every day and gives it his all. It’s exciting to see. You can just kind of see the confidence. The talent’s always been there.”
Wisely’s confidence is a result of his personal success and that of the Giants.
“We got a lot of good energy in this clubhouse,” Wisely said. “Pitching’s throwing really well, hitters are swinging the bats well, so it’s fun to be out there playing.”
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