Ex-Giants All-Star Puts Tony Vitello on Notice After Questionable Decision Costs Another Game

Shawn Estes did not hold back after the San Francisco Giants’ latest late-game collapse against the Washington Nationals. While many expected Keaton Winn to face criticism, Estes pointed to the source of the disaster. The NL All-Star pitcher (1997) believed the problem started long before the Nationals scored 3 runs in the ninth inning. In his view, the biggest mistake was how Tony Vitello managed the inning.

“It just seems like that last inning, it was, it was lost when the inning started, just based on how it was managed,” said former Giants player Shawn Estes in the postgame show with the NBC Sports Bay Area.

Estes reiterated that Winn should not carry the blame.

“Keaton Winn is going to get a lot of blame in this game, and he shouldn’t.”

Winn entered the 9th inning after pitching in 3 straight games and throwing 41 pitches during his last 2 bullpen appearances.

Estes pointed to those numbers and argued that the reliever’s arm looked tired throughout the inning. He added that Winn’s splitter lacked its usual sharpness, which allowed Washington to take advantage of him. Then the frustration shifted toward Logan Webb’s removal from the game.

Keaton Winn, shown in a game against the Dodgers in September, made his 2024 Cactus League debut Sunday after dealing with elbow soreness.
Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Webb had allowed just 1 run over 8 innings while striking out 7. Despite needing only three more outs, Tony Vitello turned to Keaton Winn, but he couldn’t hold on to Webb’s impressive outing with a 2-run lead, and the Nats won 4-3 on Monday night. Estes believed the ace deserved the opportunity to finish the game himself.

“He’s your ace. He’s the guy that can handle that,” Estes said, arguing Logan Webb gave San Francisco its best chance to win.

The criticism did not stop there.

After a passed ball moved runners into scoring position, first base became available with C.J. Abrams approaching the plate. Instead of putting Abrams on base, the Giants pitched to him. And with the form he is in, the Giants had to watch him deliver a game-tying two-run single.

Vitello later explained that Caleb Killian was unavailable and that the team needed experience in that spot. Estes countered by noting Winn had thrown more pitches than Killian during the weekend series in Chicago. Pitching for four straight days can be taxing.

After this loss, the Giants are now 27-40 in the season. Even in Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, SF blew their lead because of an error.

In the 10th, Michael Busch singled to right, and automatic runner Dansby Swanson advanced from second and scored on an error. Ultimately, the Cubs won 3-2. Before that, the 9th-inning pitch by Winn tied the Giants’ score to 2-2 with Pete Crow-Armstrong’s solo shot.

If the Giants hope to climb back into the postseason race, more than winning, they have to stop losing games they have in their hands.

The path that Tony Vitello is following is not good

Since Tony Vitello left Tennessee for the San Francisco Giants, every move he has made has been tied to Nick Saban. And now even his MLB struggles are being used as a measuring stick for what comes next in his career.

The Nick Saban comparison begins with a single clear arc in football history.

Saban won a national title at LSU in 2003, then went 15-17 across the 2 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He later returned to college football and built Alabama into a dominant program, winning multiple national championships. That NFL detour is now being used as the blueprint for how some view Vitello’s jump to MLB.

Vitello’s current situation in San Francisco is simple but heavy. He signed a deal worth $3.5 million per year, making him one of the highest-paid managers for their first year in MLB.

Bob Nightengale reported that Vitello insists he is happy with the Giants despite outside speculation about his seat being hot. Still, every losing stretch brings more questions than answers about where he truly fits long term.

The conversation about a possible return to college baseball continues to grow because of his track record at Tennessee. He led the Volunteers to a national championship in 2024 and multiple College World Series appearances. Tennessee became one of the most aggressive and consistent programs in the SEC.

That kind of success is why programs like Arkansas and Missouri keep coming up when they talk about Vitello’s future.

The Saban theory is not about copying results, but about repeating a pattern.

Saban used the NFL experience as a reset before building a college dynasty at Alabama. Many believe that Vitello could follow a similar path if he returns to college baseball again in his career.

The pressure is starting to set in, and it might not be long before we see him back coaching a college baseball team.

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