BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 11: Pitcher Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants walks back to the dugout at the end of the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 11, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants have endured a frustrating 2026 season, spending much of the year searching for consistency while falling short of expectations in the National League standings.
Despite flashes of promise from some of the club’s young talent, victories have been difficult to come by, leaving fans searching for reasons to remain optimistic about the future and questioning the competence of rookie manager Tony Vitello.
San Francisco Giants Superstar Logan Webb Places ‘Blame’ On Tony Vitello For Lost No-Hit Bid
But franchise ace Logan Webb returned from a brief stint on the injured list this week to provide a bright spot amid the disappointing campaign.
Facing the Milwaukee Brewers in his return, Webb took a perfect game into the sixth inning and then a no-hit bid into the seventh. Had he been able to complete the no-hitter, Webb would have been the first Giants pitcher to record one since Blake Snell in 2024.
But the possibility of allowing Webb to build up his pitch count past that seventh inning, even while a no-hit bid was in play, was not an option for Vitello. The manager called for a bullpen arm to warm up while Webb was still contending for the no hitter, a move that the pitcher later pointed to as a reason he gave up his first hit before coming out of the game.
“I’m gonna blame Tony because he did call down (to the bullpen) right before I gave up the hit and said have someone ready,” Webb said after the game, according to the New York Post’s Evan Webeck. “So I’m going to blame him.”
The Post noted that Webb’s pitch count had climbed to 85 pitches before eventually reaching 95, a notable workload given his recent return from the injured list. But Webb added that he would have kept pitching had his no-hit bid continued and he had been allowed to.
“I would’ve thrown 200 pitches,” Webb added, per Webeck. “I would’ve asked for an extra day.”
Vitello, however, indicated he was never going to allow Webb to go for it.
“I don’t think so,” the manager said when asked if he ever believed Webb would take the no-hitter all the way to the end of the game, according to Webeck. “I don’t know that it would’ve been fair to him.”
San Francisco Giants Manager Tony Vitello Endures Harsh MLB Debut Season
The outing arrived during a difficult stretch for Vitello, who has faced increased scrutiny amid the Giants’ disappointing season.
“Vitello … amid fan criticisms of how he and the front office have handled this disappointing 24-38 season — including the use of prized prospect Bryce Eldridge — said he’s determined to help turn the Giants into a winner and committed to managing the entirety of his contract, through 2028,” John Shea wrote for The San Francisco Standard.
Whether or not the Giants will want to keep him through the end of that deal, though, is a different story.