Giants notes: Luke Jackson dominates debut; Michael Conforto MRI clean
Jackson dominates Giants debut; Conforto gets good MRI news originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO -- As reporters filed into his Oracle Park office on Wednesday afternoon, manager Gabe Kapler swirled whiskey in a glass and then placed it on a table. The drink wasn't a reaction to some of the ugliness in the Giants' 9-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was celebratory.
This spring, as he approached the anniversary of his Tommy John surgery, reliever Luke Jackson gave his manager a bottle of Yamazaki 12 year old whiskey and told him they would open it when Jackson made his first appearance for the Giants. It came Wednesday, and it couldn't have gone any better.
Pitching in an MLB game for the first time since the 2021 World Series, Jackson struck out a pair in a perfect seventh inning. He showed an ability to repeatedly land his slider for strikes and hit 96 mph with his fastball.
"You feel like the rehab is never going to end and you finally get out there and it's a little surreal," Jackson said. "It was awesome to get back out there again."
The Giants signed Jackson to a two-year contract in the offseason with the hope that he could pitch in the late innings for them at some point. If it takes a while to return to a high-leverage role, it might be because of how well others are pitching, not because of what Jackson is throwing.
He returned to a bullpen that has helped carry the Giants back into the playoff race, and Jackson joked that he doesn't want to be "the bad egg." On his first day back, he needed just 11 pitches to get through his frame and landed 10 of them for strikes. His command isn't all the way back, but he feels good about his ability to pound the zone.
"He got chase, he got swings and misses, he was all over the zone, had a good fastball," Kapler said. "We're not going to have any issues having him pitch in big moments for us going forward."
Jackson's Giants debut came in a loss, but he took a moment afterward to celebrate with his manager. It's a long, uneasy road back from Tommy John surgery, but the 31-year-old sailed through the process and his first day back. As he spoke to reporters, he held his own glass of whiskey.
"Fantastic," he said when asked for a review. "It would have been sweeter with the 'W,' but it's going down good."
—- Michael Conforto couldn't put weight on his left foot before the game, but he was walking around just fine after it and said he got the "best case scenario" from a morning MRI. There was no structural damage and the Giants are listing Conforto as day-to-day with a heel bruise.
Conforto seems likely to avoid the IL but it’s unclear if he’ll be in the lineup Friday against the Baltimore Orioles. Conforto said he’ll come to the ballpark Thursday to get treatment.
“It’s definitely good news,” he said. “The way it has progressed today is really, really encouraging.”
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—- Alex Wood was charged with a season-high six earned runs in the loss. He gave up eight hits and walked three.
“I’ve got to throw more strikes,” Wood said, noting his stuff has generally been good.
With the loss, the Giants finished 17-12 in May.
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