Former San Francisco Giants Pitcher Gives Up Historic Homer to Shohei Ohtani

History was made on Thursday by Shohei Ohtani at the expense of a former San Francisco Giants pitcher.
Jul 26, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA;  San Francisco Giants pitcher Mike Baumann (54) pitches during the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park
Jul 26, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Mike Baumann (54) pitches during the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
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Coming into the year, the San Francisco Giants knew they would have a tough mountain to climb when trying to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers after they signed megastar Shohei Ohtani during the offseason.

The Giants did a good job of overhauling their roster and adding high-profile free agents, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough for them to compete with their division rivals and earn a spot in the playoffs.

Frustrations had to be at an all-time high when San Francisco continued to flounder while Ohtani was chasing Major League Baseball history, and to add insult to injury, the Japanese phenom became the first player to ever hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season at the expense of former Giants pitcher Mike Baumann.

Entering Thursday's game, Ohtani had 48 homers and 49 stolen bases, making every contest until the end of the year a potentially historic moment.

He decided to go ahead and get that out of the way in just one day.

Ohtani stole his 50th base in the first inning, needing just two home runs to become the inaugural member of the 50/50 club.

He hit the first one he needed in top of the sixth inning, putting himself just one shy of the mark.

Then, in the seventh frame, Ohtani made history.

It's unforunate for Baumann that he was on the wrong side of history with this at-bat, but he should also be praised for not pitching around Ohtani knowing he could be in the history books by giving up a home run.

San Francisco brought in the right-handed reliever when they claimed him off waivers in late-July following his DFA by the Seattle Mariners.

Baumann didn't have a long stay with the Giants, only pitching in one game for them before he was later designated for assignment and traded to the Los Angeles Angels.


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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently is the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. He is also a contributor at FanSided, writing about the Philadelphia 76ers for The Sixers Sense. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai