SF Giants Press Clips Friday, 21, 2018
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SF Giants Press Clips Friday, 21, 2018 San Francisco Chronicle A toast to Hunter Pence and his memorable Giants’ carrer John Shea Hunter Pence gets cheered when he steps out of the dugout. When he takes the field. When he’s introduced as a pinch-hitter. When he gets a big hit. Even when he makes an out. Pence is treated like a legend — an overused word, but perhaps fitting in this case — and a two-time champion who was instrumental and inspirational at the height of the Giants’ glory days. Because that’s who he is, even though he’s hitting a career-worst .211. Pence remains a crowd favorite despite his struggles, despite the team’s struggles, and this will be accentuated in the final week of the season. That starts with Monday’s homestand opener and runs through the Sept. 30 finale against the Dodgers, the final opportunities for fans to stand and cheer the immensely popular 35-year-old outfielder. The Giants plan an on-field tribute to Pence on that last day. “I appreciate it every day regardless of conditions,” Pence said of his love affair with fans. “Ultimately, it just goes to show it’s a big reflection of how good a fan base they are and how good a community the Giants have built. It’s a product of that. 1 “In sports and life in general, not everything’s always positive. But there’s a benefit from some of the difficult things. It’s part of life. The ebb and flow of the good times and the bad times.” Pence is winding down the final days of his contract and, considering the Giants’ plan to reshape the roster and get younger next year, the final days of his career in San Francisco. Meantime, Pence isn’t ready to call it quits, and he told The Chronicle’s Henry Schulman this week that he wants to keep playing. “Yes, I want to play next year,” Pence said. He also told manager Bruce Bochy. “I don’t know what Hunter’s going to end up doing,” Bochy said. “From my conversation with him earlier, I know he still has a desire to play. He loves to play. If you look at the numbers, yeah, they’re not what they normally are. “But you watch his batting practices, how he’s moving around, he’s still in great shape. He’s going to have some options.” Bochy has been in pro ball since 1975 and calls Pence “one of my all-time favorite players.” Pence joined the Giants in a July 2012 trade and helped lead them to World Series championships in 2012 and 2014, the second and third titles in a celebrated five-year run. “You look at the players and the numbers, but it’s about relationships, too,” Bochy said. “I’ve always felt we’ve had a great relationship. I’ve always admired Hunter for who he is and how he plays the game. I’ve said he’s a guy I would pay to go watch play the game. “He’s a Pete Rose-type player. He always hustled and left everything on the field every day.” To appreciate Pence is to appreciate his quirkiness and cleverness, his wit and wisdom and his ability to ignite historic comebacks with motivational pregame speeches. That’s what he did in 2012, when the Giants trailed two games to none to Cincinnati in the Division Series and three games to one to St. Louis in the NLCS. Thus, the nickname The Reverend. “I’m not a big speech guy or big on inspirational-type stuff,” pitcher Madison Bumgarner said, “but there’s no denying that if we didn’t have him doing that throughout the postseason, I don’t think we would have won. That’s hard for me to say because I’m not into that kind of thing.” 2 Let’s not forget all that other Pence-ian stuff. The high socks displayed over the knees. The wild facial hair, seemingly different every homestand. The hilarious signs in the stands. (“Hunter Pence Brings 13 Items to the Express Lane” or “Hunter Pence Eats Pizza with a Fork.”) The never-before-seen gyrations in the on- deck circle. The choking up on the bat, inspired by the Barry Bonds poster he had on his wall as a kid. The social-media messages, some pertinent to society, some downright hilarious, some both. (Remember Batkid?) The “Yes! Yes! Yes!” chants. The positivity. Always the positivity. “He’s first and foremost one of the best teammates I’ve ever had,” Bumgarner said. “You could easily put him at the top. I think that’s probably the most important thing. That’s not show. That’s him. I don’t think I’ve ever met a more positive person or somebody who cares more about winning than him.” Outfielder Austin Slater, one of many young players Pence took under his wing, said, “He’s truly one of the most positive, mentally strong guys I’ve ever met. He’s big on getting your mind in the right place to attack the day and play this game. I try to pick his brain as much as possible.” Even as the Giants play out their second straight losing season, Pence oozes with optimism about the team’s future. “Absolutely,” he said. “There will be tough times no matter what organization, no matter what team, no matter what’s going on in your life, but there’s also a lot of huge benefits with the difficulties. “In regards to this organization, the ownership and management, from the top down, you’ve got to constantly be evolving to have the kind of success they’ve had. They went, what, (52) years here without winning a championship, and then they won three. “As we’re going through stuff like this, there are a lot of positives going on, a lot of young guys showing up.” Pence called rookie pitchers Dereck Rodriguez and Andrew Suarez “extremely bright players. What they’re bringing to the table is actually very rare. I don’t know if people realize the advanced level of pitching they are at. The Giants have a very bright future.” 3 Pence lights up when speaking of Steven Duggar, the rookie center fielder who brought defense and needed energy to the lineup but is missing the final month with a shoulder injury. “You see when Duggar got hurt, the impact that it’s had on this team,” Pence said. “Duggar is electric on the field. Slater is another one who’ll grow into something very special. There’s a lot of that going on around here. “So I think we’re at a culmination, a point where we’re going to see a wave of extremely talented youth, and you’re starting to see it now. I promise you … well, I shouldn’t say promise, but I know that they’re going to get better. They’re going to be really good, and that’s exciting.” Pence has been limited to 89 games and 42 starts; he missed 40 games with a thumb injury. He hits better (.234) when in the lineup than he does coming off the bench and enjoyed one of his best games as the starting right fielder Tuesday in San Diego, hitting a 437-foot homer and a double, driving in three runs and stealing a base. Without a fuss, he accepted a move from right field to left field (and eventually a lesser role) after the Giants acquired Andrew McCutchen. “You look how he handled this year,” Bochy said. “Here’s a guy who’s done so much for the organization. There was a role change, and not once did he ever come in here and complain. He’s done whatever he can to help us off the bench or help that player playing. “He’s amazing. He’s still relentless with his work, trying to get better, trying to figure it out. You couldn’t have a better teammate.” As the season is coming to an end, Pence seems to be enjoying every minute of it. “It’s pretty incredible just being a part of the Giants’ organization and taking the field for as many years as I have,” Pence said. “I’ve really loved it. It’s been tremendous.” 4 San Francisco Chronicle Giants back in the thick of other teams’ playoffs races Henry Schulman ST. LOUIS — The meaningful-meaningless pendulum swings again as the Giants move from three games against the Padres to a series against the Cardinals that has potential consequences for the Rockies as well. The Cardinals own a 1½-game lead over Colorado for the National League’s second wild card and have an outside chance to catch the Brewers for the top wild card, which would mean home-field advantage in the wild-card game. The Giants did not plan it this way, but they have their best pitchers going, with Madison Bumgarner , Dereck Rodriguez and Andrew Suarez opposing John Gant , Adam Wainwright and Miles Mikolas , respectively. The same three Giants are scheduled to face the Dodgers in the season’s final series, although L.A. could own the division title by then. Manager Bruce Bochy has made it clear the Giants owe it to contenders to put representative teams on the field in games such as this. He did so again in explaining that shortstop Brandon Crawford ’s left knee feels better and he will be out there, even if the games mean nothing to his team.