SF Giants’ clubhouse culture at root of winning streak, clutch hits: ’26 guys pulling on the same string’

The Giants have already surpassed their number of 9th inning comebacks from 2022, and Joc Pederson says, "I don't think it's a fluke."

SAN FRANCISCO — The eight-game winning streak the Giants took into Tuesday night’s game against the Padres was their longest since they won nine in a row as they outraced the Dodgers to the finish line in September 2021. For good reason, the recent streak has conjured memories of the magic from two years ago.

But no two teams are the same, and Monday night’s walk-off hero Mike Yastrzemski said that’s the case for the 2021 and 2023 Giants, too.

“I think that every team ends up having a different mentality, a different kind of characteristic that describes them,” Yastrzemski said Monday night. “Right now, we’re fighting. It doesn’t feel like we’re grinding, if that makes sense. We’re grinding out wins but it doesn’t feel like we’re getting beaten down in the process. It feels like we’re lifting each other up throughout the process. It feels like we’re trying to do it for each other.

“That’s a little bit different from 2021, when it just felt like we were cruising. We could roll into a series and know that we were going to win before it even started. Right now it’s just let’s win today and move on from there.”

One thing has become clear, though: There’s something special going on at the corner of Third and King. With their walk-off win Monday, the Giants collected their fourth win of the year when trailing entering their final at-bat, surpassing their number from last season and two off their total from 2021. Two of those wins have come over the course of their current streak, while six of their 12 wins in June have featured comebacks in the seventh inning or later.

The Giants’ 134 runs in the seventh inning or later are the most in the majors.

The root of it all? Yastrzemski hinted at it.

It feels like we’re trying to do it for each other.

“We’re really close with each other, more than we are with our families,” said third baseman J.D. Davis. “It’s kind of interesting with this team and how close we are. It’s just a great feeling with these guys.”

“Right now it feels like we’ve got 26 guys pulling on the same string,” said designated hitter and perennial postseason participant Joc Pederson. “That’s a really strong feeling. … It’s pretty rare. But that’s what great teams have.”

That kind of cohesiveness is “not the whole puzzle but a significant piece,” manager Gabe Kapler explained.

“You ask why are we playing good baseball, it’s at least in part because of the confidence and belief these guys have in each other,” he said. “The toughness to go down in games and still feel like you can come back and score runs. Part of the reason you feel that confidence is because the talent is there, so you can’t have just the grit, just the resilience, just the confidence, just the togetherness without the talent.”

At the heart of it are Pederson and Yastrzemski, Davis said, drawing comparisons to his experience on the 2019 Mets, who with him and Michael Conforto ushered in a youth movement and a summer of exciting baseball. Along with Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and others, Davis was part of a young core that blended with a group of veterans, however that team came up just short in the end, with two of its primary pieces eventually ending up in San Francisco.

“Just watching how guys not get down on each other, staying positive no matter what, it’s a lot of flashes of 2019 with the Mets,” Davis said. “Hopefully we have a better ending than the 2019 Mets. But it’s very similar. It’s fun to watch. It’s fun to be a part of. It’s one of those things where it’s just blending together really well with older guys and younger guys. … It’s just one of those special groups we truly enjoy being with each other. It’s been fun to watch, and it’s carried over into games.”

Pederson missed the playoffs for the first time in his career last season. He understands what it takes to get there. It’s not just the string of eight straight wins, or their best-in-baseball 22-9 record since Mother’s Day, but how the wins have come together that gives Pederson the belief that this team has it in them.

“Bad teams don’t go on runs and come back. They usually collapse and quit. Get ‘em the next day mentality,” Pederson said. “To continuously not do that shows what’s inside and what the group is made of.

“We’ve faced some really good pitchers, they’ve gone no-hit through four or five or six innings, but we’re able to come back and stay together and win the game. I think that’s huge because you’re always going to face pitchers when they have their good stuff and you’ve gotta grind. You get one runner on and you find a way to get that run in. Good teams do that. I don’t think it’s a fluke when something consistently happens and your backs are against the wall and you continuously show up.”