Playoff hopes dashed — it’s family time for Giants
To understand Giants third baseman Evan Longoria is to understand what it’s like to be a baseball player in 2020.
More than usual, players needed to be dedicated to their teams because their health and safety — and that of their teams — depends on it during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I don’t want to make it seem like I’m the only one who sacrificed through this whole thing,” Longoria said. “It’s definitely been tough. I think there’s been an understanding and acceptance of how difficult it was going to be this season for all of us.”
After the Giants were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday, they packed their bags and prepared to exit the team’s bubble and go home. A win would have meant a trip to Los Angeles to open the playoffs, but their season ended with a 54 loss to the Padres.
The upside is returning to their families.
Longoria had planned for his wife, Jaime, and two young children to accompany him in the Bay Area this season, but everything changed with the pandemic. He stayed at a hotel, and his family remained at the family residence in Arizona.
“A lot of guys haven’t had their family here. A lot of guys have been separated,” Longoria said. “So I’m definitely looking forward to being back home and being able to see my kids and my wife and have a little bit of a normal life for a little bit.”
Longoria’s not the only one. Alex Dickerson got to see his newborn baby for just a few hours. He missed two games to be with his wife, Jennifer, who gave birth to the couple’s first child, Levi.
Dickerson could have missed three days but chose to make it two because the Giants were in a playoff race. “I’ll get plenty of time with them when the season’s over,” said Dickerson.
Mike Yastrzemski, who won the Willie Mac Award as the most inspirational Giant this season, gave praise after Sunday’s game to his wife, Paige, and mother, AnneMarie.
“It’s been a crazy journey, a crazy ride,” said Yastrzemski, who played six seasons in the Orioles’ farm system before the Giants acquired him in a March 2019 trade. “My family has been an absolute rock for putting up with what they have for the six years leading up to this.
“My wife went through a lot to put up with the lifestyle that I chose to live. She has been incredible throughout this whole process. She and my mom were the two biggest people who needed recognition for this reward more than myself.”
Longoria said he got to see his family, including his 7yearold daughter Elle and 5yearold son Nash a couple of times during the season.
“It seems like forever,” he said. “I just don’t want to minimize the fact that there’s a lot of people who have been sacrificing. My wife has been great. My kids have been as understanding as they could be for being 7 and 5 years old. So I’m definitely looking forward to getting home.”