Giants match franchise mark at 20 straight innings without a run to start season, then finally score

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants matched a franchise record Saturday by reaching 20 straight innings without scoring to begin the season, then finally recorded their first run in the third inning against the New York Yankees before losing 3-1 to be swept.

San Francisco had been shut out by New York 7-0 and 3-0 with only four hits over its first two games — the first time that happened in baseball history to start a season.

The Giants were outscored 13-1 by the Yankees in their opening series, becoming the 11th team to score one or fewer runs over the initial three games of a season.

“Today was better. Obviously we didn’t get the big hit again,” shortstop Willy Adames said. “The first three games haven’t gone the way we wanted to, but that’s how baseball goes. We’re going (in) the right direction.”

Jung Hoo Lee began the third Saturday with a double to right off Will Warren, then Matt Chapman followed with an RBI single, and the crowd cheered wildly as many fans jumped to their feet in obvious relief.

New manager Tony Vitello, promoted from the University of Tennessee despite no professional playing or coaching experience, became the ninth manager in baseball history to be shut out in each of his first two games with a team, and seventh manager to do so in his first two games overall, according to Sportradar.

The 20 consecutive scoreless innings matched the previous franchise mark from 1909, when the Giants were scoreless for 13 innings in their opener and the first seven in Game 2.

The only team to get shut out three straight times to open a season was San Diego in 2016, when the Padres were swept by the Dodgers on the way to a 68-94 season.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb