And people should listen.
Happy Tuesday, San Francisco Giants fans. It’s the last Tuesday of the season, for better or for worse.
On Monday, Giants ace Logan Webb had one of the best games of his career, pitching a complete game with relative easy, and holding a potent San Diego Padres lineup to just one run. That, combined with some excellent defense behind him and an eighth-inning rally, was enough for the Giants to eke out a 2-1 win.
But while it was a fitting celebration for a player in Cy Young contention, Webb was hardly in a celebratory mood after the game. When given the floor with a chance to talk about his Cy Young candidacy, Webb instead used the time to put a whole lot of public pressure on the Giants leadership.
Webb’s post-game comments were littered with the athletic phrases you expect from a leader: “Winning is more important,” “I haven’t done my job,” and so on and so forth. But it was also full of some comments that will make you turn your head.
“I’m tired of losing,” Webb said. “It’s not enjoyable. It’s not fun. We’ve got to make some big changes in here to create that winning culture, that we want to show up every year to try and win the whole thing.”
“I’m tired of losing.”
Logan Webb isn’t concerned with the Cy Young talk. He just wants to win pic.twitter.com/3GYsgtgEqS
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 26, 2023
Asked to expand on what changes he wants, Webb said, “I don’t know. That’s not up to me.”
Followed up with Webb about what he meant by “big changes.” Here’s his answer: https://t.co/ccsTORlfwu pic.twitter.com/7sPdZpRfpr
— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) September 26, 2023
Webb speaking up is certainly notable. He has become the leader and elder statesmen of the team, as their best player and one of their longest-tenured players, despite being just 26. And, perhaps most importantly, these comments very much stand out relative to what we normally hear from him.
That said, it’s impossible to know what he’s thinking. Is he trying to put pressure on ownership and management to make a big move this offseason? Is he expressing displeasure with the coaching staff? Is he making a calculated public statement that this isn’t acceptable, so that free agents won’t view the Giants as a team happy to finish .500? Is he calling out his teammates for not working harder?
We may never know. But it’s definitely interesting. And who can blame him?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants and Padres play tonight at 6:45 p.m. PT. It’s Kyle Harrison day!