LaMonte Wade Jr. wasted no time giving the Giants the lead against the Braves on Saturday night at Truist Park.
The Giants' first baseman crushed the very first pitch from Braves starter Yonny Chirinos into the right field seats.
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The 394-foot homer was Wade's third leadoff homer of the 2023 MLB season and sixth of his career. His three leadoff homers are tied for the 14th most in a single season by a Giants player. Bobby Bonds holds the franchise record with 11 in 1973, per Sportsradar. Ray Durham has the second-most with nine in 2004.
Wade now is the sixth Giants player since 2000 to hit a leadoff homer on the first pitch of a road game, per Sportsradar. Oddly, San Francisco is 1-4 in the previous five instances, so the feat hasn't necessarily been a good omen.
Wade now has batted leadoff in 81 of his 92 starts this season and has been a reliable table-setter for the Giants. He entered Friday's game slashing .269/.391/.423 with 10 homers, 46 runs scored and 26 RBI in the leadoff position.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants' offense has been sputtering over the last few weeks, so Wade's homer was a much-needed shot in the arm in a game they desperately need to win.