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Giants second baseman Joe Panik did something no MLB player has ever done
Forgotten in the ridiculously wild shuffle of MLB Opening Day was a pitcher's duel between the L.A. Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was in his usual form, going 6 innings strong, striking out seven batters and giving up just one run. Unfortunately for Kershaw, it was the only run of the game.
That run came off the bat of Giants second baseman Joe Panik, who took Kershaw deep in the top of the fifth, eventually giving San Francisco a 1-0 win. On Friday night, game two of the West Coast series was another pitcher's duel, with the teams combining for just two hits through eight innings of a 0-0 tie. In the top of the ninth, Panik was set to lead off, but Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen got called in, and immediately worked an 0-1 count on Panik. But Panik delivered on the next pitch, crushing one off one of the best closers in baseball to give the Giants a 1-0 lead that they finished off in the bottom of the ninth.
The pair of solo shots off Kershaw and Jansen made history for Panik, who is now the only MLB player to ever hit a home run in back-to-back 1-0 wins. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Giants also made history as a team with the low-scoring victories:
With two homers already, Panik is just nine away from a career-high, which he matched last year with 10.