Home opener extra special to Panda, Blanco
LOS ANGELES >> The Giants plan on honoring their 2012 and 2014 World Series championship teams later this season, but today, fans attending the team’s home opener at AT&T Park will be treated to a more informal reunion.
When Giants players line the chalk for pregame ceremonies, Pablo Sandoval and Gregor Blanco will be among those eagerly awaiting the cheers.
“To be back on the opening day roster, it’s going to be a lot of emotion,” Sandoval said. “It’s tough for me because there’s very good memories and especially the fan support, it’s going to be a special week.”
After spending the first seven seasons of his career with San Francisco, Sandoval departed in free agency to sign a five-year, $95 million contract with the Red Sox in November of 2014. Injuries and poor performance contributed to a disastrous tenure in Boston that ultimately led the franchise to designate him for assignment last July, which opened the door for a seemingly improbable homecoming with the Giants.
Critical comments Sandoval made after leaving the Giants in free agency burned bridges that were never expected to be rebuilt, but when he came seeking forgiveness last summer, General Manager Bobby Evans and Manager Bruce Bochy proved willing to oblige.
At the height of his career, Sandoval started six consecutive opening day games at third base for the Giants, but when he returns for his first home opener in San Francisco in four years, he’ll do so in an entirely different role.
Sandoval, 31, is attempting to reinvent himself as a utility player who can provide a Giants team that revamped its lineup during the offseason with value off the bench. After playing in 47 games for the Giants over the final two months of the 2017 season, Sandoval arrived at spring training with a third baseman’s glove, a first baseman’s mitt and even a desire to throw on catcher’s gear.
He told Bochy he needed to prepare himself as an emergency backstop, just in case the Giants wanted Sandoval to return to a position he hasn’t appeared at since 2009.
“I have to be ready for whatever the situation is going to be,” Sandoval explained. “Especially the role that I have right now, it’s part of that role. I work hard at every moment and at every position that I play so that I can help the team and give a little support.”
Though Sandoval and Blanco combined to win five rings during their first stints with the Giants, their separations from the organization couldn’t be more
disparate. Sandoval was a coveted free agent presumed to be entering his prime when he inked a deal with Boston, while Blanco, now 34, was coming off the worst season with the club when he agreed to terms on a Minor League contract with Arizona last offseason.
While the Giants struggled to fill the void Sandoval left at third base following his exodus, their outfield defense collapsed in the year Blanco spent with the Diamondbacks. San Francisco lacked speed, range and players who provided premium versatility in the outfield, making Blanco’s absence abundantly clear.
Six months after Sandoval’s reunion with the Giants sent shockwaves through baseball, Blanco’s return to the organization as a non-roster invitee to spring training hardly turned a head.
After each player hit over .300 and offered defensive flexibility in Cactus League play, the Giants rewarded Sandoval and Blanco with 25-man roster spots. Though both players appeared in more than 140 games for World Series-winning clubs in 2012 and 2014, they’ve come to accept their new roles and expectations and above all else, embraced the opportunity to help a franchise they care about.
“I remember the last game that I played at AT&T Park and I said to myself that this might be the last game I play here,” Blanco said. “I looked around at everything and all of the memories that I have, the World Series just came into my mind in a split second. Now being here again, it’s exciting.”
Neither player will take the field on an everyday basis this year, but both have excellent chances to stick around until the 2012 team is honored at AT&T Park on July 8, and the 2014 team relives memories on Sept. 15.
Until then, they’ll be counted on to provide a spark in spurts off the bench, and keep the chatter constant in a dugout that missed their energy as much as the Giants missed their skill sets.
“They bring the passion for the game, the energy, they keep it loose,” Bochy said.
“They’re both great to have in the dugout.”