Koss' grand slam leads SF Giants' three-homer day to break cold spell

Justice delos Santos, The Mercury News on May 14, 2025

Published in Baseball

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SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants carried two starkly different trends into Tuesday. They’d never lost a game where Robbie Ray started. They’d also never won a game with their new City Connect jerseys.

Something had to give. By night’s end, their four-game losing streak was a remnant of the past.

Christian Koss hit a grand slam for his first career homer. Willy Adames hit a two-run homer; Jung Hoo Lee, on Korean Heritage Night, capped off the offensive explosion with a three-run homer, his first of the year at Oracle Park. Ray rebounded from a rough first inning to struck out nine over six innings. It amounted to a 10-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks as the Giants (25-18) improve to 9-0 on Ray’s start days.

The night began on an ominous note. Ray, who entered play with a 2.84 ERA, allowed three quick runs that put the Giants in an early deficit. The left-hander struck out Ketel Marte swinging to start his night, then allowed four straight hits that gave the Diamondbacks an early 3-0 lead. One inning later, Koss provided the much-needed swing.

Wilmer Flores began the second with a single, then Willy Adames followed him by drawing a walk. Following LaMonte Wade Jr.’s deep fly out, Patrick Bailey drew a walk to load the bases. With one swing, Koss emptied them and sent Oracle Park into a frenzy, giving the Giants a lead they’d never lose.

Adames padded that lead in the fifth inning with the 155th home run of his career, a two-run shot that barely cleared the left-field fence and extended the Giants’ lead to 6-3.

The Giants found themselves in danger of blowing their lead in the top of the eighth inning when the Diamondbacks loaded the bases with one out against Camilo Doval. With no margin for error, Doval used a 100.2 mph cutter to induce an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play off the bat of Ketel Marte to end the threat.