Yeah, baby! ?
@hunterpence | #SFGSpring pic.twitter.com/DBdmNTT5bd— SFGiants (@SFGiants) March 8, 2020
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Hunter Pence was ready, first for the pitches and then for the question.
In the aftermath of his big day Sunday, showing off a retooled swing that made him an All-Star last season before his reunion with the Giants for this one, he acknowledged some fans and media may not pick up on the subtleties of his new approach. He still swings like he’s trying to finally burst a pinata.
But for onlookers who do want to see a change, Pence said, “You might see it in the results.”
The fan favorite was on top of his game in the Giants’ 8-4 victory over Seattle at Scottsdale Stadium, launching a fourth-inning home run off righty Sam Delaplane, then pulling a two-run, fifth-inning double to left off righty Carl Edwards Jr.
The fact he’s seeing the ball well against righties — when he was in brought in to crush lefties — is encouraging. The fact the home run came off an “up-and-in heater” and the double off a “frontdoor curveball” also bodes well for Pence’s pitch recognition.
His new swing, aimed to get balls in the air and with power, breathed life back into his career, which has found its way back to San Francisco.
“It’s tough — you have to really slow it down to look to see the difference,” Pence said after his first home run at Scottsdale Stadium since last spring — one that came off Jeff Samardzija. “It’s still my quirky movements and batting stance, but I’m swinging a lot more with my top hand. My left hand’s doing something totally different.”
The swing looks good, as does his back. He missed the end of his 2019 season with Texas because the back flared up, and he said this offseason has been “more of a rehab than really being prepped [for playing].”
Last year he went to the Dominican Winter League for plenty of at-bats with the new arc, while this year he came in mostly cold. The Giants have slow-played him accordingly, Sunday just the fourth game he’s entered. Pence said he’s beginning to ramp his workload up, and he should begin playing more outfield soon. (He was the DH Sunday.)
The swing has changed. He hopes the results will, too. Something hasn’t changed for the 36-year-old, though: His relationship with Giants fans.
“The fan response has been unbelievable,” Pence said. “I’m not able to walk three steps without someone telling me, ‘Welcome back.’”