Looking back at Giants’ biggest surprise of 2025

While Devers’ arrival headlined the summer, the team’s unpredictability was what made 2025 unforgettable. The Giants led the majors in walk-off wins, including some of the wildest finishes the game has seen in years. A walk-off walk. A “Little League” homer by Heliot Ramos. And then came Patrick Bailey’s inside-the-park walk-off home run — a play so improbable that even long-time fans could hardly believe it.

In early July, with two runners on and the Giants trailing the Phillies 3–1, Bailey scorched a ball off the right-center wall. Oracle Park’s quirks turned what would have been a home run anywhere else into chaos. As the ball ricocheted off the bricks and rolled deep into Triples Alley, Bailey motored around the bases, sliding home to an eruption of 40,000 fans. The Giants won 4–3. It was the first walk-off inside-the-park home run by a catcher in nearly a century, and it perfectly captured the energy of the Giants’ season — gritty, chaotic, and unforgettable.

“I just saw it bounce and said, ‘I’ve got to go,’” Bailey said, smiling after the game. “I’m just glad I didn’t fall over before I got home.”

Moments like that fueled belief that the Giants were building something real. Logan Webb continued to evolve into one of the best pitchers in baseball, leading the National League in strikeouts for the first time while maintaining his elite ground-ball rate. Willy Adames and Matt Chapman solidified the infield defense, while Ramos and Casey Schmitt emerged as key pieces of the future. Even in losses, the Giants were rarely out of games — a testament to the team’s newfound resilience under Melvin.

Yet despite their fight, San Francisco finished just shy of a postseason berth, stuck in the middle of the league’s most competitive division. But that doesn’t mean the story ends here. The Devers trade was step one in the team’s transformation. Step two might be coming this offseason.

The Giants signing of Rafael Devers was a glimpse into their future

All eyes are now on Bo Bichette, the former Toronto Blue Jays star who headlines this winter’s free-agent class. Bichette’s elite contact skills, consistent production, and willingness to shift from shortstop to second base make him a natural fit for San Francisco’s lineup. MLB insider Andrew Simon called the Giants a “perfect fit,” noting that Bichette’s line-drive swing is ideal for Oracle Park’s dimensions. Pairing him with Devers, Adames, and Chapman could give the Giants a top-tier infield — not just defensively, but offensively as well.

For Bichette, the move would mean joining a team that has proven it’s serious about winning. For the Giants, it would mean completing one of the most dramatic turnarounds in baseball. After years of floating around .500, they’d finally have a core capable of going toe-to-toe with the Dodgers and Braves.

The 2025 season reminded everyone what can happen when a team stops playing it safe. Between Devers’ blockbuster arrival, Bailey’s miracle home run, and Webb’s ascent into ace territory, the Giants gave their fans something they hadn’t felt in years — genuine excitement for what’s next.

If the front office can add Bo Bichette to the mix, that excitement could turn into something much bigger. San Francisco’s 2025 season was full of surprises, but 2026 might just be the year those surprises turn into something historic.