This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Pitching products of San Francisco Bay Area high schools go head-to-head for the first time Friday night when the Minnesota Twins visit the Giants for the start of a three-game interleague series.
The clubs haven’t met in San Francisco since 2017. The Giants took two of three in Minnesota last May after having gotten swept in a three-game set at Minneapolis the previous year.
The Twins flew west after opening a six-game trip by taking two of three from the Chicago White Sox. While Minnesota had Thursday off, the Giants were dropping a 5-3 decision to the Toronto Blue Jays, as San Francisco completed a 2-1 series loss to kick off a six-game homestand.
Twins right-hander Joe Ryan (6-5, 3.29 ERA) won games against San Francisco in each of the last two seasons. This time around, he will be up against Giants left-hander Kyle Harrison (4-4, 4.24), who has never pitched against Minnesota.
Ryan, 28, was born in San Francisco and attended Sir Francis Drake High (now known as Archie Williams High) in suburban San Anselmo, Calif., where he was a water polo standout.
Drafted by Giants in the 39th round upon graduation in 2014, Ryan opted for Cal State Northridge before moving on to Stanislaus State in California’s Central Valley, where he led all NCAA divisions in strikeouts.
He credits water polo for much of his pitching success.
“In water polo you learn how to skip the ball,” he said. “I spent 10 years trying to skip the ball in water polo, and it’s the same concept as throwing a fastball: Get the shoulder in position and then let the hand work and get it out front. Throwing a baseball feels the same way. You get that zip right at the end.”
Ryan limited the Giants to a total of one run and eight hits over 11 innings in 9-0 and 7-1 home wins the past two years. He went 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA in those games.
While he has never pitched at Oracle Park, this won’t be his first Bay Area homecoming. He started a 5-4 win at Oakland last July in which he allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings without getting a decision.
Ryan will enter this outing riding a five-game unbeaten streak during which he is 2-0 with a 3.26 ERA. He is coming off a 9-3 home win over the Houston Astros on Saturday, when he struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs.
In Harrison, he will see a 22-year-old who prepped at De La Salle High in Concord, Calif., a nationally recognized football powerhouse on the Oakland side of the bay.
The San Jose native likewise was drafted by the Giants after high school graduation. In his case, Harrison took the Giants’ offer in 2020 after having been a third-round pick.
The second-year major-leaguer has never won an interleague start, going 0-1 with a 4.34 ERA in four outings. His most recent start was a 5-4 loss at Cleveland on Saturday, when he permitted four runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings.
That effort came after a four-week stint on the injured list caused by a sprained right ankle. He believes he’ll be better in his second comeback effort.
“I was working a little too fast and didn’t have my legs under me,” he said of the Guardians’ three-run first inning. “But I was able to get back out there and I felt good. I’m ready for my next one for sure.”
Bridging the stint on the injured list, Harrison is winless in his past five starts, going 0-3 with a 5.61 ERA.
–Field Level Media
