Slater rewards Melvin’s faith by abandoning the Astros on extras

Slater rewards Melvin’s faith by abandoning the Astros on extras originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Austin Slater spent years honing a routine to prepare for games where he could make just one shot to make a difference.

Around the third or fourth entry, the oldest giant begins to stretch and prepare its body. He does many of the same drills and drills as his teammates, except he pretends the eighth inning is his first inning. He’s been one of the best hitters in baseball in recent years, and given how committed the last two Giants managers have been to a Slater-Mike Yastrzemski platoon, his nights are often spent waiting for a chance at a left-handed reliever. .

With the Houston Astros in town, that reliever would be Josh Hader. Before and during Monday’s game, Slater watched clips of Hader, including the one of Yastrzemski Memorable Grand Slam two years ago. Sometimes it’s good to fill your brain with ways you can succeed, but watching Yastrzemski hit also made Slater wonder if he would actually get his shot.

When Hader ran to the mound in the bottom of the ninth with the Giants and Astros tied at 1-1, Yastrzemski was up first. Bench coach Ryan Christenson told Slater to prepare.

“I was like, ‘Are you sure?’ ” Slater later recalled, laughing. “They said, ‘Yeah, we’re sure.’ “

This was the matchup the team wanted and the role Slater has. The blow was memorable, but Yastrzemski had only faced Hader twice before, walking and falling to the ground.

Giants manager Bob Melvin threw his right-handed counter, but Slater came up. One inning later, he won the game.

Slater smoked a fastball from right-handed reliever Rafael Montero into the wall in left, giving the Giants a 4-3 victory about the Astros. They scored three runs in the bottom of the 10th, with Slater following RBI singles from Brett Wisely and Patrick Bailey.

The moment was easily the biggest of the year for Slater, who entered the night batting .156. After a spring filled with rehab and months of struggles at the plate, Slater finally got a breather when he reached first base and turned around to wait for his teammates.

“I was just trying to get the ball in the air, keep it short and simple,” Slater said. “Obviously, any time you can do well for your team and in a situation where you’re struggling, it’s a much better feeling. It definitely took a big weight off my shoulders. It felt really good.”

After struggling during April and early May, Slater went on the IL with a concussion. The latest injury has prevented him from shaking off a difficult start, but he has found a silver lining in a long rehabilitation task.

Slater finally got a chance to get four hits a day and work on his swing and approach, and he also spent some time talking to sports psychologists, something that has worked for him in the past. He said Monday that he “lost a little edge” somewhere along the way, but felt that when he returned to the big leagues, he was once again working and focusing on the process of just getting good plate appearances.

Melvin never lost faith, even as the noise grew louder outside the building. It was a pretty automatic decision to give Slater the chance on Monday, even though Yastrzemski had tripled early in the game.

“It’s difficult for a Hader leftist,” Melvin said. “Yes, he hit a home run early in his career, but before an inning too, it’s [a chance for] a walk, it’s a little more speed. Yaz has the only RBI of the game [at that point]but Hader is a really tough hit for a lefty.”

The slam came two weeks before Hader was traded to the San Diego Padres for Melvin, and Slater nearly matched it on Monday. He came in with the bases loaded and hit a ball that traveled 365 feet and bounced off the padding in the middle of the left field wall. Since the Giants only needed one run, Slater ended up with just one long walk.

Slater later joked that he would like to take credit for the extra-base hit. He doesn’t have one in 47 at-bats, but for one night at least it was easy to smile.

“He invested very well in this,” Melvin said. “It’s very rewarding for him for all the hard work.”

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