San Francisco Giants Starting Pitcher Dominant in Return to Hometown

The San Francisco Giants were in Houston Monday night, and their starting pitcher dominated in his hometown against the Astros.

Mar 31, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jordan Hicks (12) pitches against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Daikin Park. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants opened up a three-game series with the Houston Astros Monday night. On the back of their starter, the Giants were able to win the game 7-2.

The starting pitcher for the game was Jordan Hicks. He was the 105th pick in the 2015 MLB draft out of high school in Houston.

Taking the mound at Daikin Park was special for the right-hander. It was his first time pitching in the ballpark, and he made the most of it.

Per the San Francisco Giants official X account, Hicks invited 90 friends and family members to come watch him make the start against his hometown club.

Houston native Jordan Hicks pitched in 29 @MLB stadiums before making his Daikin Park debut tonight.

Hicks invited 90 friends and family members to see his start against the Astros, and he turned in a squeaky clean outing in their presence 🫧 pic.twitter.com/f995ToqDkz

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 1, 2025

In the win, the Houston native went six shutout innings, allowed just one hit, walked two batters and struck out six.

The most impressive part of his outing was his ability to not only command his fastball, but do it with tons of velocity.

The 28-year-old threw the top 16 fastest pitches of the night, and 31 of the top 34. The big righty topped out at 100.0 MPH and he averaged 98.0 on his sinker. His four-seam fastball averaged 98.6 mph, which is over three miles per hour harder than what he averaged in 2024. Additionally, Hicks threw his sweeper 2.2 mph faster while his splitter was up 6.0 mph.

Heading into spring training, Hicks knew he would be ready to be a full-time starter after having an up-and-down 2024. The fourth starter spot was always his to lose, as well. The Giants were committed to him as a starting pitcher, and that was not going to change.

Still, there are some question marks about whether or not he can retain that spot in the rotation.

This start against the Astros seemed to have quiet those concerns for the time being. He generated just seven total whiffs, but he was able to get 19 called strikes and the balls that were put in play had an average exit velocity of 90.7 mph.

There was a lot to like about Hicks in the win for San Francisco. It is just his first start of the season, but he proved that he belongs in the rotation.

The Giants already have a stacked rotation with Logan Webb, Justin Verlander and Robbie Ray as their top three.

If Hicks can continue to pitch the way he did Monday night, San Francisco will have one of the best rotations in the National League.