Bay Magic: Raley’s Blast Lifts San Francisco to 4–3 Win

Sammy Linedriv - TABL Beat Writer

Sometimes October baseball doesn’t need drama from start to finish. Sometimes it’s just one furious inning, one swing, that turns the whole story around.

On this brisk night by the bay, the San Francisco Bays turned a 2–0 deficit into a 4–3 victory with one five-batter surge in the fifth inning, rallying behind Pavin Raley’s towering three-run homer to even the series at two games apiece.

For the first four innings, it looked like Boston’s script would hold. The Bruins struck first in the second when Austin Wells, who’s been nearly impossible to retire since arriving in San Francisco, doubled home Randal Grichuk for a 1–0 lead. In the fourth, Grichuk delivered again, this time a solo home run to make it 2–0.

Meanwhile, Michael Wacha was sharp early, keeping the Bays off balance until the fifth. That’s when everything turned.

With one out, Jurickson Profar worked a walk, Ketel Marte singled, and Raley unloaded on the first pitch he saw, a fastball up, sending it screaming into the right-field bleachers. The home crowd erupted. Two batters later, Yainer Díaz added an RBI single to score Teoscar Hernández, who had doubled moments before, giving San Francisco a 4–2 lead and sending Wacha to an early shower.

From there, the Bays’ bullpen held on by its fingertips. Tanner Scott gave up a solo shot to Jazz Chisholm in the eighth to make it 4–3, but slammed the door on Busch, Stanton, and Cowser to escape. Emmanuel Clase handled the ninth with his usual icy precision, striking out Grichuk and retiring Austin Wells, Boston’s hottest hitter, to seal the win.

Peterson earned the victory, battling through 6⅓ innings while scattering seven hits and striking out six. Wacha took the loss despite allowing just five hits through 4⅔.

Now it’s a best-of-three — and the momentum feels like it’s shifted west. Game Five brings back the aces: Corbin Burnes for Boston, Jameson Taillon for San Francisco.

It’s all square again, and everything to play for.

W – Peterson (1–0)

L – Wacha (0–1)

SV – Clase (2)

HR – Grichuk (BOS), Chisholm (BOS), Raley (SFB)