AT&T cheers Dodger
Sergio Romo was amped. As usual.
“I am beyond elated just to be here,” he said Monday. “I’m so stoked. The little kid inside of me is just jumping up and down.”
Romo was sitting in the firstbase dugout before his first appearance at AT&T Park as a visitor. And he wasn’t just any kind of visitor; he was a Dodger. He wore royal blue. He also had a new hairstyle and new glasses.
But there was no disguising him. He was still the hyperactive, diminutive reliever who helped the Giants to three World Series rings.
Before the game, Romo said that he hoped the reception from the crowd would be great.
“I hope it will be a ‘happy to see you’-type thing,” he said, “but I wouldn’t be surprised if I got a quick reminder that I’m wearing the other colors.”
It was absolutely a “happy to see you”-type thing.
The Giants wasted no time in welcoming Romo. In between the first and second innings, the familiar notes of “El Mechon” started and the crowd automatically started clapping and dancing. The video board showed Romo highlights and, as the fans gave him a standing ovation, Romo came out of the Dodgers’ dugout and tipped his cap to the crowd.
Of course, that love won’t last now that Romo is with L.A.
“I’m excited to go down and warm up because I’ve heard a lot of things about how the bullpen crowd is,” Romo said.
He got his chance, entering the game in the eighth with his new team down 2-1. After walking Eduardo Nuñez, Romo faced two longtime teammates, getting Buster Posey to fly out and giving up a single to Brandon Crawford, before facing Christian Arroyo in his big-league debut
Romo struck the rookie out with a steady dose of familiar sliders.
Romo grew up a Dodgers fan, so he was excited when he first put on the Dodgers’ uniform. But his heart is still in San Francisco. One of the first things he did after signing was check the schedule to see when his first trip back to San Francisco would be.
“For me, it’s a homecoming,” he said.
And he follows the team’s travails, like the recent injury to Madison Bumgarner.
“Although we’re no longer teammates, I still care,” Romo said. “I want him to be able to be happy and healthy. Plus, baseball is now missing a great, key piece.”
Romo also left his stomach in San Francisco. He’s planning a few trips to La Taqueria in the Mission.
“Best burrito in the world,” Romo said.
Romo came to the Giants’ side of the field while his old team was warming up to greet and hug his former teammates.
One thing he was worried about was coming off the mound.
“I hope I remember to go to the first-base side and not the third-base side,” he said.