Giants Baseball Insider

San Francisco Giants Ace Extends Historic Stretch Dominating Baltimore Orioles

A San Francisco Giants starting pitcher is in the midst of one of the most dominating stretches in baseball history.
Kenneth Teape|
Sep 17, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws a second inning pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Sep 17, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws a second inning pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

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San Francisco Giants

The 2024 season did not get off to the start that the San Francisco Giants and starting pitcher Blake Snell were hoping for.


After winning his second Cy Young Award for his performance in the 2023 campaign with the San Diego Padres, Snell was looking to cash in as a free agent. Unfortunately, his market was not as robust as he had hoped, signing a deal with the Giants in mid-March.

The delayed start to his ramp-up led to some really rocky performances out of the gate. He was placed on the injured list twice as he just couldn’t find his groove.

However, since returning to the mound on July 9th, he has looked more like the Cy Young version of himself. He has been dominating opponents, putting together a historic stretch since that point.

On Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles. Snell fired six shutout innings, allowing one hit and two walks with 12 strikeouts.

It was the second time he has struck out at least 12 batters in a game this season; the other came on July 27th against the Colorado Rockies when he struck out 15 across six innings. It was the third time he went at least six innings and allowed 1 or zero hits.

Over his last 13 starts, including that one, opponents are hitting a mind-blowingly low .124 against the southpaw. According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, there are only two other pitchers with a batting average allowed that low during the live-ball era (from 1920, not including openers) in a single season.

Freddy Peralta of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets, both in 2021.

His overall numbers on the season now sit at 4-3 with a 3.31 ERA across 98 innings with 136 strikeouts. The dominance took a little longer than the team had hoped, but he has looked the part of an ace over the last 2+ months.

Given how good he has been, it should come as no surprise that Snell is expected to test free agency again this offseason. There is an opt-out clause in the contract he signed in March and it is widely believed he will exercise that, looking to cash in on a lucrative long-term pact.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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