SAN FRANCISCO–There was a different kind of aura in the Giants clubhouse Saturday night.
Pablo Sandoval began his “redemption tour” in San Francisco on Saturday, starting at third base and hitting clean up in his (second) debut with the Giants. However, it didn’t take him long to make an impression. After grounding out to second base twice, the once beloved, now hoping-to-earn-forgiveness, slugger smashed a leadoff double off Taijuan Walker to left in the bottom of the seventh. Jarrett Parker would follow up with a double of his own, scoring Sandoval for the Giants’ first run of the game. Next came Hunter Pence, who promptly cracked one over the left field wall for his first home run at AT&T this season, closing the deficit to 4-3.
The Giants would eventually walk it off in the tenth via Jarrett Parker’s infield single, but the hit that woke the club up was credited to Sandoval, according to Bruce Bochy.
“Pablo’s double did a nice job of waking up the club and trying to get us going,” Bochy said. “It woke us up, cause we looked dead in the water. Walker was throwing the ball well, we just couldn’t do much with him. Nice piece of hitting with Pablo going the other way. He smoked it, got a double and getting that first run, that does a lot for a club.”
It was an emphatic thrust in the right direction for Sandoval, who emerged to forgiving cheers from the crowd with some unforgiving boo’s scattered in. For Sandoval, it was just about contributing and winning the game.
“I was trying to calm down myself,” Sandoval said. “First at bat I started to get emotional out there. I was excited to be back on the field especially playing third, hitting clean up.
“First pitch curveball, I was guessing he was going to throw a fastball. I got a good pitch to hit so I just didn’t try to do too much out there. I tried to play the whole field.”
Although it’s been nearly three years since Sandoval’s sour departure in 2014, Bochy conveyed that Sandoval hadn’t changed too much, saying his attitude and demeanor were still a factor in the way he plays the game.
“You see Pablo, you’re thinking of some great times,” Bochy reflected. “There’s some good memories of Pablo. He hasn’t changed, he’s still Pablo. He plays with a passion, he’s got that energy we always talked about when he was here and he’s still the same. I was heading up the dug out and I could hear him in the batting cage, as loud as he is. I thought just having him around would do something for the ball club.”
Sandoval finished the night going 1-3 with one throwing error, but remained optimistic about his new opportunity.
“I come here every day to win games and try to bring good vibes to my team,” added Sandoval. “They know me, they know the type of guy that I am. I’m working hard to get wins.”
