Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Hunter Pence, who was a four-time All-Star outfielder and won two World Series with the Giants, will be remembered more fondly for the kind of person and leader he has shown himself to be.
The 37-year-old announced his retirement Saturday after 14 major league season in which he slugged nearly 250 home runs and batted .279 with 942 RBIs in the regular season, slashing an impossible .390/.435/.561 in the World Series. And yet, his legacy has been written with his speeches, his “Yes! Yes! Yes!”es, his scooters and being as inspirational a character as you can find in a big-league clubhouse.
In a video announcement, Pence made official what had seemed likely after the Giants had designated him for assignment Aug. 23.
Nothing can really prepare you for this part of your career when you have to say: I am retiring from baseball.
Forever thankful and Gr8ful. pic.twitter.com/XoYTsLkOlu
— Hunter Pence (@hunterpence) September 26, 2020
“I’ve given it everything I possibly can, and the game has given back to me tenfold. Thank you to all of my coaches, my teammates, staff and all the people behind the scenes,” said Pence, who finishes with 1,707 game played. “It took everything and everyone to help me be the player I was. There was no way I could have done it without that support.”
Pence wrote his story with dramatic runs with the Giants in 2012 and ’14, the former in which he was a deadline add and then immediately a clubhouse leader, his pregame speech during the 2012 NLDS the stuff of legend.
His bat aged, and he fell off in 2018, his career appearing to be over and the Giants throwing him a season- and contract- ending farewell party that included a scooter. Pence, though, retooled his swing all offseason and emerged with the Rangers, with whom he was an All-Star last year.
“To the fans, thank you for your unwavering passion and support no matter where I was,” Pence said. “The love that you have shown me every step of the way has left a lasting mark on me.”
He and his pal Pablo Sandoval returned to the Giants with offseason deals, though neither panned out at least on the field. Their teammates thanked them for inspiration and guidance throughout the year.
“I’m looking forward to being a Giants fan now,” Pence said.