Bailey experiencing the never-ending struggle of an MLB catcher originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Tom Murphy sat hunched over and did his best to fool referee Brian Walsh on Friday at Citizens Bank Park. The Giants’ backup catcher also had a small problem with his hands.
He was framing an empty glove.
As the ball bounced behind him and headed toward the dugout, Murphy ran thinking his mistake would only cost the Giants a base. Speedy Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner had other plans, running from second base and sliding home to narrowly beat Murphy’s throw to pitcher Jordan Hicks.
What appeared to be Murphy being tricked into an unsuspecting splitter turned out to be a microcosm for the Giants’ night in Philadelphia.
Murphy certainly wasn’t in Giants coach Bob Melvin’s plans on Friday. Not in the fourth inning, and especially not in the second inning of the Giants’ 4-3 defeat when Murphy was forced to replace Patrick Bailey behind the plate.
Bailey wore his catcher’s gear on a total of seven batters, but took the brunt of several foul balls, including one directly off his facemask in the first inning.
The Giants’ starting catcher left shortly after catching a foul ball directly to the inside of his left foot with one out in the second inning. That was not the reason for his removal.
San Francisco announced in the fifth inning that Bailey was ruled out due to blurred vision and was being evaluated.
Patrick Bailey left today’s game due to blurred vision and is being evaluated, according to the Giants
-Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) May 4, 2024
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm had a .368 batting average through Thursday, trailing only Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts’ .377. He ranked second in RBI (31) and fifth in OPS (1.001). Bohm’s only hit on Friday was an RBI grounder pulled to left field at 101.3 mph to give the Phillies their first run.
But the foul Bohm hit on Bailey’s face mask could have been traveling at the speed of sound. Volume up. You wince as you hear the collision of the ball, your face, and the metal bars.
The Giants say Patrick Bailey was held out of the game because of blurred vision and is being evaluated. He hit a pretty hard foul on the mask in the first round: pic.twitter.com/QKKPODpBbP
-Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) May 4, 2024
It’s battle seekers who prepare for the moment their gear chooses them, not the other way around. And it’s the last thing the Giants, now 15-18 after their last loss, as a team can afford right now.
His catcher’s eye allowed him to earn a six-pitch walk on Bailey’s only at-bat of the day, watching as the final two pitches — both balls — missed the strike zone, but not by much. Bailey then scored the first of a two-run double by Thairo Estrada to give the Giants an early lead. He stole a few shots for Jordan Hicks, even in such a short space of time. San Francisco lost Bailey in Friday’s loss and trying to replace the rising star would be a tough pill to swallow.
Murphy hit a smooth single up the middle in his first at-bat. The 33-year-old backup fell to the ground and hit his last two at-bats, increasing — yes, increasing — his batting average to .121. Philadelphia also stole three bags from the veteran catcher.
The only other Giants catcher on the 40-man roster is Blake Sabol, who is currently batting .243 at Triple-A. Sabol, 26, played 55 games last season for the Giants and hit .235 with 13 home runs and a .695 OPS in 110 games. Sabol also allowed 37 stolen bases, throwing out just seven. His 16.0 steal percentage was below the league average of 19 percent.
As the Giants’ Buster Posey-sized hole at catcher grew larger and larger, first in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he opted out, and since his retirement after the 2021 season, Bailey has begun to write his own story last year and gained the confidence of fans to look forward instead of being stuck in the past at the start of this season. He’s made huge strides at the plate and is now batting .278 with an .800 OPS after hitting .233 with a .644 OPS in 94 games last season, a year in which he started well at the plate before giving up.
The Giants believe the strength Bailey has added and his maturity as a hitter have prepared him to keep pace this season. He continues to be a weapon defensively, well on his way to being a Gold Glove contender for the rest of the decade.
Early Friday afternoon, the Giants released a medical update that included the progress of Blake Snell — the 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner, the 2019 AL Cy Young Award winner and the NL All-Star starting pitcher. Star of 2022. Adding Bailey to that injury list would be a huge punch to the gut in the middle of a 10-game road trip.
Just eight months ago, Bailey suffered a concussion at home plate that kept him out for a week. After the game. Melvin told reporters that Bailey is feeling better and is not in concussion protocol. Another round concluded in this never-ending struggle in the life of a seeker.
