LOS ANGELES — Giants left fielder Mike Tauchman reached over the wall to rob Albert Pujols of a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and San Francisco broke through in the 10th to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-5 in a thriller Friday night.
Dodgers pinch-hitter Austin Barnes hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth to make it 5-all.
Pujols was up next and the recently signed slugger nearly won it. He lingered near the batter’s box when he connected and many of the Dodgers jumped the dugout rail in anticipation of a celebration, but Tauchman was equal to the challenge.
Tauchman angled back to the fence, jumped and made a backhanded grab. He fell to the ground after knocking into the wall, raised his arm to show the ball and hobbled a bit on his way back to the dugout.
The Giants got Tauchman in late April in a trade with the New York Yankees, who liked his defensive ability yet had no room for him in an overcrowded outfield.
LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a go-ahead single in 10th off Kenley Jansen (0-2). Evan Longoria added a two-run double.
Tyler Rogers (1-0) got the win despite giving up Barnes’ homer. Jarlin Garcia got his first save since he was a Marlins minor leaguer in 2011.
Buster Posey hit a three-run homer in the eighth that gave the Giants a 5-2 lead.
Three times the Giants had a lead and three times the Dodger tied it. In the end, the Giants wound up with their first win over their NL West rivals in five tries this season.
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