SAN FRANCISCO–As cliche as it sounds, Saturday proved there is crying in baseball.
When Giants’ veteran Matt Cain stepped off the mound for the final time at AT&T Park on Saturday afternoon, the impact of his presence and what he meant to his teammates over the last 13 seasons was apparent from the emotional display in the home dugout.
After embracing manager Bruce Bochy and catcher Buster Posey, Cain walked through the Giants’ dugout and received embraces from every teammate and coach on he walked by.
“I think we all were (emotional), I was, Buster, that’s cause of our love for this man,” Bochy said. “It’s a family here and he’s been here with me since day one. Just the person that he is. It’s a tough time for everybody when something like this happens. We’re proud for him, but yet, it’s an emotional moment. Guys were crying in the dugout. That’s how much they care about this guy.”
Right fielder Hunter Pence said he started to feel the energy that came with Cain’s swan song on Friday night, and he explained that as soon as he woke up on Saturday morning, he knew the day was destined to be special.
“Everything about this day was extremely emotional,” Pence said. “Even last night, I could feel the energy. I woke up in bliss just knowing that he was starting. It filled all of us up with some amazing emotions and we just love him so much. This was a very special day.”
Cain came up with the Giants in 2005, and spent all 13 seasons of his Major League career with the same organization. After Saturday’s game, Pence explained what qualities of Cain’s that the club will miss the most in the coming years.
“His leadership,” Pence said. “His clubhouse presence. His attitude. He changes the clubhouse. He’s always just confident. He’s always keeping it light and loose and it’s very important. What he’s brought, it’s irreplaceable. Not only how spectacular he was on the mound and how big of a horse he was for so many years, he sets the tone emotionally. Keeps everyone loose in the big moments. He’s got that calm, cool confidence no matter what the situation was and it leaks into everybody.”
Cain’s leadership was on display through his final moments on a Major League mound. After allowing a leadoff walk to kick off the top of the fifth inning, Cain battled through the rest of the frame and retired three straight Padres’ hitters to exit the game with a 1-0 lead.
“It’s pretty amazing what the man did today,” Bochy said. “I didn’t think he would go five today, with his lack of work and from the last week or 10 days or two weeks or whatever, he just had a will, a determination to find a way to do it.”
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