Giants ‘trust’ Ryan Walker after blown save, bounce-back inning vs. Nationals

Ryan Walker’s second save opportunity of the 2026 MLB season didn’t go how he wanted on Saturday at Nationals Park — but he didn’t let it deter him.The Giants reliever came out for the 10th inning against the Washington Nationals after giving up San Francisco’s one-run lead in the ninth to force extras, getting two big strikeouts and one extraordinary Willy Adames play to work his way out of a bases-loaded jam.After the Giants’ eventual 7-6 win that came in 12 innings, Walker credited his offseason mental work for bouncing back despite the blown save in the ninth.“A lot of it just shows the work I put in the offseason, mentally,” Walker told reporters after the win. “I just had an extra fire to go out there. Obviously I didn’t get the job done in the ninth, and I was determined to get the job done in the 10th, so we keep going. And that was just my mindset.”The Giants’ defense showed out behind Walker to keep them in the game. In the ninth, Matt Chapman made a perfect throw home from third base to nail Jorbit Vivas, who was the game-tying run at the time, at the plate. And after the Nationals eventually tied it up on Brady House’s bloop RBI single one at-bat later, Drew Gilbert threw out the potential game-winning run at third to end the inning. Chappy with a HUGE play to save a run pic.twitter.com/scB4brJk5F — SF Giants on NBCS (&commat;NBCSGiants) April 18, 2026 But the true web gem of the game came in the 10th, with the bases loaded and two outs, when Adames somehow got off a throw to first base after failing to come up with a force out at second. WHAT JUST HAPPENED pic.twitter.com/3q3m7oPCFQ — SF Giants on NBCS (&commat;NBCSGiants) April 18, 2026 After the game, Giants manager Tony Vitello compared the play to Derek Jeter’s famous flip home in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS.“What it was, was, ‘The hell with it. I’m going to continue on and just keep playing,’ and to have the feel to do that, I mean, you would never practice that,” Vitello told reporters. “You would never talk about that, and I don’t know that you would even kind of draft that play up in your mind. It’s just one of those things. He wears No. 2. I remember watching the play against the A’s — that doesn’t make any sense, but Jeter is always trying to win, so he just ends up doing the right thing. And I don’t know, [Adames] may be able to speak more intelligently on that, but that’s the way I saw it.”Walker said he “wasn’t worried” when the ball was hit and knew Adames would make the play — a testament to the belief the Giants have in each other, as this new group appears to finally be jelling this season during their current road trip, which now includes a three-game winning streak.That’s why Walker wanted to go back out for the 10th, he added. It wasn’t for himself, but for the other Giants on the field. His efforts allowed Caleb Kilian to pitch the final two innings of the game and earn his first career win.“I was ready to go,” Walker said of wanting the ball in the 10th. “Not necessarily for my sake, but for the team’s sake, to keep us in it. I was super frustrated with the result of the ninth. A hit like that is just so frustrating, but getting back out there in the 10th and getting the job done and then seeing Kilian and get to do that is super fun.”Walker entered the season determined to reclaim the closer role after an inconsistent 2025 campaign, though Vitello said he doesn’t view the Giants’ bullpen as “cookie cutter” when it comes to which job is which pitcher’s. Walker got the ninth-inning call in part because the ‘pen was limited on arms, the manager noted, but the reliever is one they would have gone to in that situation regardless.“Even if there was more guys available, we’ve talked before, like, is this guy in the seventh, eighth or ninth?” Vitello said. “[Walker is] one of those innings for us, for sure. And in particular, he’s going to come in in a lot of jams. …“He did not get the official save in that but saved the game with the next situation, and then moving on to the next inning, gave us another save, and everybody from that point on that was able to come back into the dugout without the game being over … We trust him in a lot of situations, and he’ll be trusted in the ninth inning and in other spots as well.”Their team effort Saturday secured at least a series win, and the Giants will go for a sweep of the Nationals on Sunday at 10:35 a.m. PT.Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Giants ‘trust’ Ryan Walker after blown save, bounce-back inning vs. Nationals

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