Sandoval adds third ring to his collection
OAKLAND, Calif . — Pablo Sandoval had his latest sparkly World Series ring visible in his locker at the Oakland Coliseum.
He is as proud of it as the first two he won with the San Francisco Giants, in 2010 and ’12.
“All three are great,” he said. “It’s hard to get one.”
The Red Sox slugger received the bling Sunday night from former manager Bruce Bochy, CEO Larry Baer and general manager Bobby Evans at Boston’s team hotel, and said they spent about 30 minutes together. That stirred up memories from Kung Fu Panda’s successful tenure with San Francisco, despite any souring of the relationship in recent months.
Sandoval believes his comments during spring training expressing frustration at the team’s handling of negotiations last year — and those that he only missed Bochy and Hunter Pence — “came out the wrong side.”
“Because if I’m going to tell every name that I miss, it’s going to be a long interview,” he said, while sitting in Boston’s dugout holding a makeshift news conference. “I just said those names because Bochy’s like my dad, always believed in me, Hunter’s the greatest player I’ve played with. It’s nothing about my teammates, nothing about the fan support. But things came out the wrong side.”
Sandoval received a $95-million, five-year contract from the Red Sox in November to start fresh across the country after winning three World Series titles in five years. He was the 2012 World Series MVP. The Giants had offered nearly an identical deal, but had been willing to consider pushing it closer to $100 million.
“I feel good. A new team, a new challenge that I picked,” he said. “I’m happy the way I am right now, doing my job. That’s the only thing that I care about.”