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San Francisco Giants Rookie Shares Thoughts After First Career Win

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San Francisco Giants Rookie Shares Thoughts After First Career Win


The San Francisco Giants called up Hayden Birdsong on June 26 to make his major league debut after posting a 2.51 ERA in 13 minor league starts to begin the year. His debut was about what you would expect from a rookie: 4.2 innings, three earned runs allowed and five strikeouts. It ended in a no-decision, but his second start against the vaunted Braves offense would earn him that coveted win.

In five innings in Atlanta, Birdsong allowed two runs on four hits, walking two and striking out five. Following the game, Birdsong spoke to the media about his outing and what it meant to him.

After falling just shy of five innings in his first start, Birdsong had one big goal: get through five.

“I was like, ‘I’m finishing my inning.’ Im not coming out in 4.2 again. Obviously, it worked out, I had less pitches,” the rookie said.

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Birdsong threw ten less pitches in his outing, which allowed him to work with some more wiggle room to reach that five inning mark. In doing that, he was allowed to reflect on what his two big league starts have taught him about himself.

“I’ve learned that I can compete at this level and these guys around me are more than willing to play behind me and I love that. They’re very welcoming to me and I’m very grateful for that,” Birdsong remarked.

Not only do his teammates suport him, but his family made the trip to Atlanta to see him pitch.

“I can’t describe it. It’s great. Honestly, I had more people here than I had in San Fran last week, a lot more of my friends, a lot more of my buddies,” he said of the support. “Very thankful they could make it down, it’s a lot closer, obviously. They don’t have to drive 25, 30 hours whatever it is from home.”

The Illinois native had his friends and family there for his first big league win, which is very special. The only thing that comes close is the gatorade shower you traditionally get after such a big accomplishment, but Birdsong had some different thoughts on his.

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“At first, I was kind of freaking out cause I have my one pair of contacts that I have in my eyes right now. I’ll get more tomorrow, but I was like ‘Oh god,’ they started to burn and I was like ‘please don’t mess my contact up,’” he joked. “But it was great. I loved it.”

The Giants have been in desperate need of pitching with so many injuries, and the team needed a player like Birdsong to come up and make quality starts. As one of their top prospects, he is doing so and rightly got to celebrate on Tuesday. Now, it’s back to the Wild Card chase.



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Exclusive: San Francisco Police Department investigating Zoox collision with a parked car | TechCrunch

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Exclusive: San Francisco Police Department investigating Zoox collision with a parked car | TechCrunch


The San Francisco Police Department is investigating an accident involving a Zoox autonomous vehicle that crashed into the driver’s side door of a parked car, TechCrunch has learned.

Officers responded to the crash, which occurred at around 2 p.m. local time on January 17 near the intersection of 15th and Mission Streets, according to the department. The Zoox robotaxi was traveling along 15th street when a street ambassador named Jamel Durden opened the driver’s-side door of his 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, according to MissionLocal, which first reported the crash.

Durden’s hand was reportedly smashed during the crash, and the Zoox vehicle suffered damage to its glass doors. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) told TechCrunch the Zoox vehicle was carrying a passenger at the time, which has not been previously reported. That passenger was an employee of Zoox, according to the company, and was not injured, which the SFPD confirmed.

The police department declined to provide TechCrunch with an incident report “[d]ue to the fact it is still an open investigation.” Zoox filed its own police report about the incident, the company told TechCrunch, but said no additional details have been requested. In a statement on January 20, Zoox said it was “cooperating with local authorities to provide an accurate account of the incident.”

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The California Department of Motor Vehicles, which regulates autonomous vehicles in the state, has also met with Zoox about the January 17 crash. The DMV told TechCrunch that Zoox filed a crash report “in compliance with California regulations.” That report is not yet publicly available.

Zoox is in the early stages of building out its robotaxi service in San Francisco. In November, the company started offering free rides to members of the public who are part of the “Zoox Explorer” early-rider program. The company is operating a similar program in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This rollout has come with challenges. The Amazon-owned company issued a recall in December to fix an issue where some of its vehicles were crossing center lanes and blocking crosswalks. (Zoox also issued two different software updates during recalls earlier in 2025 before it started offering public rides.)

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The January crash in San Francisco happened when Durden “suddenly opened” the door of his car into the path of the robotaxi, according to Zoox. The company said the robotaxi “identified the opening door and tried to avoid it but contact was unavoidable.” (Durden’s employer could not be reached for comment.)

Zoox also said it offered medical attention to Durden, who allegedly declined. According to MissionLocal, Durden refused medical treatment until his car was towed.

“Safety and transparency are foundational to Zoox, and we are cooperating with local authorities to provide an accurate account of the incident,” the company said in a statement.

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Video: Mountain Lion Spotted in San Francisco

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Video: Mountain Lion Spotted in San Francisco


new video loaded: Mountain Lion Spotted in San Francisco

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Mountain Lion Spotted in San Francisco

Residents were shocked to see a young mountain lion roaming the streets of San Francisco this week. Local animal control agencies were able to capture and tranquilize it on Tuesday.

Swear to God, am I tripping? There’s a mountain lion. What is that? I can see it. Oh my God. What the. Dude!

Residents were shocked to see a young mountain lion roaming the streets of San Francisco this week. Local animal control agencies were able to capture and tranquilize it on Tuesday.

By Cynthia Silva

January 27, 2026



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Animal control locates mountain lion in San Francisco

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Animal control locates mountain lion in San Francisco


A young mountain lion that was spotted Monday night in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood has been located, city officials said.

Around 6:20 a.m. Tuesday, city officials said San Francisco Animal Care and Control found the mountain lion and that they are working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to manage the situation. No injuries were reported.

A biologist is on their way to the scene, with the plan to tranquilize the animal and move it to a suitable location, officials said.

The mountain lion was first reported Monday night after being seen near Octavia Street and Pacific Avenue, according to an alert from the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management.

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Animal Care and Control officials said experts believe the animal is about a year old. It had also been seen earlier Monday morning near Lafayette Park, just a few blocks from the later sighting.

City officials said the mountain lion was likely lost and may have been trying to move south out of the city.



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