The Giants entered Sunday's rubber match against the Washington Nationals with a chance to win their third consecutive series, and after the first inning, it seemed like the game had all the makings of a magical day at Oracle Park.

Justin Verlander entered his 20th start of the 2025 MLB season needing just three strikeouts to reach the 3,500th of his career, and he became the 10th big-league pitcher ever to do so after striking out the side in the first inning. But the celebration, which included a standing ovation from 40,089 fans as he walked off the mound, was short lived as San Francisco went on to lose 8-0.

The Giants mustered just three hits against Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore and never even reached second base, though Verlander put them in an early hole after his histori

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