Kevin Gausman wasn't expecting to see the field in the Giants' game against the Atlanta Braves on Friday night, as the right-hander had been the starter for the previous day's loss to the San Diego Padres.
With the Giants out of available position players, Gausman was called upon Friday night to pinch-hit with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning, and delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly.
Gausman's wife, Taylor, shared the adorable texts she got from her husband in the aftermath of his first walk-off sac fly.
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Gausman was elated talking to reporters after the victory, calling it the coolest moment of his MLB career.
"Oh man, that was the coolest thing I've ever done in my entire career," Gausman told reporters. "When it was 3-2 and everybody stood up, it probably was one of the coolest moments of my life. I was just trying to cheat to a fastball, thought he was going to throw me a fastball, somehow made contact with it. Yeah, we won. It was crazy."
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Gausman's strong start to the season has ticked down, but the right-hander still is 14-6 overall with a 2.78 ERA. At the plate, Gausman is hitting .184 with nine hits in 57 plate appearances.
Between the birth of their second child, Kevin's first All-Star appearance and the Giants being the first team to clinch a playoff spot, it has been quite the year for the Gausman family. The Giants pitcher ranks Friday night's thrilling finish right up there with some of the best moments of his life, much less his baseball career.
"That was awesome," Gausman said. "Like I said, top two moment of my life. Birth of my two children and then that. It's up there. It was super cool. I'm never on the field like that with people mobbing me, so it was super cool."