Pence’s take: ‘I don’t think there’s any certainty here’
SAN FRANCISCO » When Hunter Pence is at his best, his energy feeds crowds, his words inspire teammates and his at-bats become lively examples of what makes baseball so fun and compelling.
For much of his career, Pence has been a clubhouse’s resident optimist, but even one of the sport’s most positive presences chose sobering words to discuss the significant hurdles Major League Baseball faces as it attempts to keep players, coaches and staffers safe this summer.
“You know, I don’t think there’s any certainty here,” Pence said over the phone after the Giants canceled Tuesday’s workout due to a delay in processing coronavirus test results. The team was back to work Wednesday.
“I think it’s a tough decision for everyone. The owners, the higher-ups, the players, the staff, this is a challenging decision. Because everyone wants to have baseball. We all love baseball. We all want to play. It’s great. We’re just kind of in a time where nobody really knows.”
After Pence’s seven-year tenure with the Giants came to an end following the 2018 season, many in the sport believed his baseball career was over. The outfielder had battled injuries and struggled at the plate, but his resilience and relentless determination to continue playing helped him land a job with the Texas Rangers and ultimately secure a spot on the 2019 American League All-Star team.
In early February, Pence agreed to a one-year deal with the Giants to return to San Francisco. In midMarch, a pandemic shut down the sport, jeopardizing the possibility Pence would play another game at Oracle Park.
Last week, Pence, who turned 37 in April, stepped back onto the field, but admitted practicing under new health and safety protocols required difficult adjustments to baseball’s new normal.
“I have to say the Giants have done an outstanding job of giving us every opportunity to make this happen, even though it’s still incredibly challenging and there’s a lot of strange things that we’re having to do and learn,” Pence said. “But I do have to say I’ve been really impressed with the thoroughness and the followthrough and the effort to make it possible. It’s still very challenging so far.”
During a nearly fourmonth layoff spurred by the pandemic, Pence said he “tried to be as overly cautious as I could,” and “wasn’t really willing to meet and play catch” until he felt more comfortable and had a better understanding of the coronavirus.
A cautious approach required Pence to develop a creative training regimen that allowed him to report to Giants camp in good shape last week.
“I was throwing weighted balls into the fence or the wall or the net, hitting off a whiffle ball machine, sprinting in the street, yoga sessions in the house and just getting as creative as I can,” Pence said. “It’s obviously not ideal, but my goal was just to kind of make the best of the situation and do everything I could while maintaining the integrity of staying healthy for myself and my family.”
In the days and weeks leading into the Giants’ return to Oracle Park, Pence acknowledged how challenging it was to settle on a decision to show up.
“It’s a hard, hard, hard decision,” Pence said. “But I also believe in commitment and follow through and weighing that and coming to the park every day, I will say that it’s been tremendously exciting to play the game that we love.”
If MLB sorts out early testing issues and players are able to stay healthy in and out of the stadiums where they’ll practice, Pence could make a more significant impact than the Giants initially envisioned. With the designated hitter coming to the National League, Pence should have more opportunities to hit and could be in the regular rotation for that spot in the batting order when he’s not sharing left field duties with Alex Dickerson.
Pence is also part of a group of players that will maintain contact with fans during the season, even if none are in the stands. The 14th-year veteran is an active participant on social media and has more than 1 million combined followers on his Twitter and Instagram accounts.
“We’ll know even though the stadiums are empty, there’s definitely a lot of focus on these games,” Pence said. “That’s definitely important, but social media is a way we can stay connected.”