Talk about “Venezuelan panda †is to teleport to the World Series titles of the San Francisco Giants. It is impossible not to join him in such a glorified feat. For that reason, even though he has fallen into an abyss, the bay team does not stop honoring him.
With the start of the MLB season, the Giants gave the opportunity to have the “Panda” once again in their stadium. The duel against the Oakland Athletics was a spectacle worthy of a legend, even if it was preseason. Sandoval was applauded by the Giants fans, after seeing him in uniform once again with the team where he was champion and even Most Valuable in a Final.
With two balls, two strikes and a stadium full of “Let's go, Pablo!” As they chanted, A's right-hander Vinny Nittoli threw a cutter that went straight to the back shoulder of Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval. He was tall and he was also inside. He wasn't even close to being an out.
Sandoval stayed true to his mark, swinging at 11 of the 13 pitches he saw in two at-bats in what was likely his last appearance as a Giant. The final swing resulted in a broken bat, but also a flare that landed on the edge of the right field grass for a single. If that was it for Sandoval, it was a very fitting way to go out.
But for more than 1,400 MLB games, the vast majority of them in orange and black, Sandoval found a way to hit the ball when most others couldn't, and wouldn't even try.
That way of hitting was the one that in 2010, 2012 and 2014 managed to lead his team to win the World Series ring.
Sandoval was all smiles, soaking up every moment of a new season with the Giants that began when he was a surprise non-roster invitee in February. He proved to be a mentor to young players, including Luis Matos, who grew up idolizing the “Panda,” and said he was happy to pass on what he had learned.
The signing of Matt Chapman closed any narrow path to a roster spot, but Sandoval still believes there are more hits on that bat, or the one he'll grab next since it ended up splintering on the turf at the Oracle Park.
He said he would be open to playing for Triple-A Sacramento, although that's not a conversation he's had with Giants management yet, which is notable given that the minor league season is about to begin.
“Everyone thinks I'm retired,” Sandoval said. “I won't do it. I'll keep playing.”
However, on Opening Day, the Giants announced that Sandoval had been released, which could mean the end of his career.
The “Panda†is an icon in San Francisco, who perhaps should never have left. When he traded to the Giants for the Boston Red Sox, he began the decline of his career. However, after so many years of disappointments between the United States, Mexico and Venezuela, where they assure that they do not want him on their LVBP team (Navegantes del Magallanes), the bay team showed that they will always love him ¡.
