SAN FRANCISCO – Joe Panik was the hero Tuesday night as the San Francisco Giants walked off against the Atlanta Braves in the bottom of the ninth. The two-out, two-run single by Panik gave the Giants the win after struggling to hit Braves pitching all night long.
Following Tuesday’s ninth-inning thriller, Panik joined KNBR Tonight host Mark Willard to discuss how he and his teammates stay focused on winning games amidst constant trade rumors.
“You know what, I think we have a bunch of veterans that have been around for a good few years now”, Panik said. “So they kind of understand that one, this is a business, and management will do what they feel is best for this organization in the future.”
Social media has allowed fans and athletes to share the same social space, and that can cause some problems from time to time. With online criticism almost unavoidable in this day and age, Panik believes the Giants as a team do a good job keeping the online criticism out of the clubhouse.
“I think this group does a great job of not letting the outside talk and chatter and trade rumors and twitter people get into our clubhouse”, Panik said. “We’re focused on today, we’re focused on who we’re playing tonight. And again, management is going to do what they feel is best for this team, and it’s up to us to go out there and perform.”
Currently, the Giants own a 21-26 record and last place in the National League West. The Giants as a team have been subject to plenty of trade chatter this offseason and even throughout the regular season. Under the guidance of new President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi, certain key members of the Giants organization could be moved by the July 31st Trade Deadline. Until then, Panik says he and the Giants will remain focused on the task at hand: winning baseball games.
