SAN FRANCISCO — There are often little plays over the course of nine innings that stick with Tony Vitello, sometimes so much so that he will bring them up on his own before stepping down from the podium at his postgame media session. In the Giants’ win on Tuesday, that little play was one that nearly didn’t even make the broadcast. As the game came back from a commercial break in the third inning, St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn hit a sharp grounder to short. Christian Koss scooped it up as his momentum took him toward third base and got rid of it about as quickly as one can. The throw to first bounced once before settling into Rafael Devers’ glove, but it beat the speedy Winn by a step. That quick transfer was the only way Koss was going to prevent a leadoff single.
“That probably gets lost in the drama towards the end,” Vitello said later. “But it was the best defensive play of the game.”
The bigger highlight for Koss on this night was a homer in the second that ended up holding up as the game-winner. The Giants won 2-1, with solo shots by Koss and Bryce Eldridge backing a good performance from...