Mays stood test of time, Posey says
Buster Posey was back in the Giants’ lineup Friday, appropriately — a potential Hall of Famer was on the field as the team celebrated its greatest Hall of Famer, Willie Mays.
“I think the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the name Willie Mays, it’s almost like a mythological type of name,” Posey said on a video call before the team’s celebration of Mays’ 90th birthday. “It’s the same feeling with Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig.
“Honestly, the reason that people still talk about him today is just because how incredible a baseball player he was and for how long he played. And his accomplishments as a baseball player will forever stand the test of time.”
Posey celebrated the great man’s day with a tworun homer to right Posey’s first oppositefield drive at Oracle Park in nine year and the third of his career. He’s on a tremendous roll, with 16 hits in his past 26 atbats following the homer, and he’s gone deep four times in his past seven games.
Overall, Posey who sat out last season during the pandemic because he and his wife, Kristen, had just welcomed home two prematurely born adopted baby girls is batting a teamhigh .397 with eight homers, following that tworun shot.
Posey has been asked repeatedly what’s behind his resurgence, because he’s 34 and playing like he did during his AllStar/MVP heyday. One simple key: health.
“What I’d say is that the hip is not an issue for him any more,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “There’s a lot of wear and tear that that occurs over a long majorly career. And the break
allows some of those tissues to repair themselves. He also worked incredibly hard on his flexibility, his mobility, and strength. And I think those things are showing up for him.”
“For me, it’s just really being able to move efficiently and quickly,” Posey said. “It’s something that I felt last spring as well and carried on to this
spring, and really just trying to get a good swing, I’ve got a good plan going into the game with all of our hitting coaches, and I like the work that I’m putting in before the game. I think it’s a combination of all of that.”
Posey said he always talks with Mays when he’s around the clubhouse and said Mays always wants to talk baseball and get to know the players. “He’s usually pretty entertaining,” Posey said.
Posey has a small amount of signed memorabilia, he said, but he treasures a signed photo
with Mays.
After coming out of Wednesday’s game at Colorado with hamstring tightness, Posey was catching Anthony DeSclafani on Friday night in the opening game of the series against San Diego. The Giants are in first place in the NL West, with the Padres half a game back.
“Division games are always important,” Posey said. “This Padres team looks to be contending all year so yeah, these games are important. It’s definitely hard to weigh each game, especially this point of the year, but you have to go into each game like it could be the tipping point between a playoff spot or not.”
As for the Giants’ packed injured list, with 11 players out, most with muscle strains, Posey said, “I read something today that it’s up around the league in general, so I don’t know if it’s coincidence, or it has something to do with shortened season last year.”