SAN DIEGO -- There might not be a person in professional baseball who worked harder over the last year to get to this weekend than Daulton Jefferies.
On Sunday, Jefferies made his first big league appearance in 23 months. Since that day, he has had Tommy John surgery for a second time, as well as thoracic outlet surgery, a lesser-known procedure that often is very difficult for pitchers to come back from.
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This was supposed to be a special day for the 28-year-old, but it couldn't have gone any worse.
Jefferies gave up five runs in his first inning back and was charged with nine in two innings as the Giants got blown out 13-4, finishing with a series split against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Only five of the runs were earned, as an error on a routine grounder and a strange passed ball hurt Jefferies in the first inning, but he still did not pitch well.
Luis Campusano hit a three-run shot to the short porch in right in the first inning and Ha-Seong Kim blasted a three-run homer in the second, all but ending the game and leaving the Giants scrambling to cover innings. They ended up turning to super-utility man Tyler Fitzgerald in the bottom of the eighth.
San Francisco Giants
Rough Return
Jefferies became the first Giants pitcher since Anthony DeSclafani in 2021 to give up at least nine runs in a start. DeSclafani gave up 10 on May 23 of that season against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The nine runs were easily a career-high for Jefferies, who had 14 previous big league appearances with the A's.
Jefferies ran into trouble right away when Fitzgerald, making his first start of the year, kicked a grounder to short from leadoff hitter Xander Bogaerts. He gave up two doubles and an infield single before Campusano's homer, which was one of nine hits Jefferies gave up.
At Least There Was History
The Giants held Kai-Wei Teng back on Saturday, using Camilo Doval in a blowout just in case they needed Teng on Sunday. They ended up having him warm up in the second inning.
Teng took over in the third with the Padres leading 9-0, becoming the 17th Taiwanese-born player to reach the big leagues and the first to suit up for the Giants. He is the only active player from Taiwan.
Teng's debut was a rough one, with the Padres hitting around in his first inning and making him throw 40 pitches. He walked three, allowed three hits and was charged with three runs before making it out of the frame. Teng settled in from there and ended up allowing just those three runs in three innings, with four strikeouts.
Oh No, Flo
Wilmer Flores flipped over the home dugout railing in the bottom of the first in an attempt to snag a pop-up, and Padres players and coaches immediately began waving to the visiting dugout. Flores spent a couple of minutes on the ground before gingerly walking back to first base with trainer Dave Groeschner.
Flores never came out for the top of the second, with Luis Matos pinch-hitting in his spot. The Giants later announced that Flores has a right shoulder contusion.
Making his season debut, Matos, who had a huge spring, grounded to short three times and flew out to center.
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