With a 1-2 count in the top of the ninth inning with one out, Sam Delaplane stood on the mound and took a breath while he settled into the mound.
An inside curveball led to a short ground ball blooper from Tri-City that went straight back to Delaplane. Aware that the bases were loaded, Delaplane grabbed the ball with his bare hand and underhand tossed it back to catcher Adrian Sugastey.
After the forced out at home, Sugastey quickly turned his hips and threw it to first baseman Edison Mora for the third and final out of the game.
The Emeralds’ dugout erupted and ran to the mound, jumping on top of each other and high-fiving everyone to not only celebrate the 3-0 Fourth of July win, but the first Emeralds’ no-hitter since 2015 and the first one as a San Francisco Giants’ affiliate.
Hayden Birdsong was handed the ball to start the game. He only needed 72 pitches across five innings to strike out 11 and paired it with only one walk. The 21 year old was drafted by the Giants in the 2022 draft in the sixth round, and has been one of the most impressive players out of that draft class. After starting out in Single-A San Jose, he was quickly promoted to Eugene and has kept the same momentum. Across both levels this year, Birdsong has maintained a 2.83 ERA, 100 strikeouts, and 1.23 WHIP across 63.2 innings pitched.
With a fastball that sits between 93-97 mph that pairs well with a upper-70s curveball and a low-80s changeup with some fade that he’s continuing to develop, the Giants plan on developing him as a starter, but he could offer some value as a reliever if he wants to just focus on his fastball and curveball. The 26th ranked overall prospect is expected to arrive in San Francisco around 2025, but if he continues to have these types of outings, we could see him up there sooner.
Mat Olsen replaced Birdsong to start the sixth inning and was somehow even more commanding. He struck out five of the six batters he faced in two innings. San Francisco signed Olsen in the 2021 draft out of Central Arizona Junior College in the ninth round. Olsen has spent the entire season so far in Eugene, and has a 3.57 ERA with 53 strikeouts and 1.08 WHIP across 35.1 innings pitched. Olsen joined the Emeralds late last season to help the team win its third championship in five years and has continued to be a big contributor to Eugene’s success this season.
Will Kempner kept the perfect-innings trend going after striking out two in a 1-2-3 eighth inning. Kempner was a part of the same draft class as Birdsong, and went in the third round as the 106th overall pick. The Bay Area native arrived in Eugene in early June after being promoted from San Jose. Across eight innings pitched this season, he has struck out 11 and maintains a .250 opponent batting average. After struggling with consistency as a starter in San Jose, the Giants moved him to the bullpen full time and he has settled in nicely.
With three outs away from a historic game, Delaplane received the ball from manager Carlos Valderrama. Things started to get a little nerve-wracking after he loaded the bases with two walks and a hit-by-pitch, but the 1-2-3 double play allowed him to record his first save of the season without allowing a hit or a run.
Delaplane is the most experienced pitcher in the Emeralds’ bullpen as he’s been playing in the minor leagues since 2017. He joined the Giants’ organization after being acquired off waivers from the Seattle Mariners in 2021. Over time, he has struggled to regain his command due to two elbow surgeries, but he has one of the strongest curveballs in San Francisco’s organization. Across San Jose and Eugene, he has a 3.79 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 1.68 WHIP in 19 innings pitched.
After being four and a half games away from being the first-half winners, which earns an automatic spot in the playoffs, the Emeralds are slowly working their way back to the top to potentially face the Vancouver Canadians again in the championship series for the chance to win their third straight title. A lot of their success is due to the pitching staff and strong outings like the Fourth of July.
