Pablo Sandoval clarifies harsh comments about Giants organization
OAKLAND, Calif. — Pablo Sandoval’s return to the Bay Area represented a day to remember — and a day of forgiveness.
Sandoval received his 2014 World Series ring on Sunday night during a ceremony with Giants manager Bruce Bochy, president Larry Baer and general manager Bobby Evans at Boston’s team hotel in San Francisco.
Then Monday night, he led off the top of the 11th inning with a tiebreaking home run, lifting his new team, the Red Sox, to a 5-4 victory over the Oakland A’s.
“It was exciting and emotional,” said Sandoval, who won three World Series as a Giant before signing during the offseason with Boston as a free agent. “You get the ring, then hitting a homer to win the game. It was a big day for me.”
In an interview during spring training, Sandoval said some harsh things about his former team, claiming that the only people in the Giants’ organization he missed were Bochy and outfielder Hunter Pence. Sandoval softened his tone considerably Monday before the game.
“It probably came out the wrong (way),” Sandoval said. “I said what I said. … If I’m going to tell every name that I missed, it’s probably a long interview. I just said those names because Bochy’s like my dad, always believed in me. Hunter’s the greatest player I’ve been playing for. It’s nothing about my teammates, nothing about the fan support. Probably it just came out the wrong (way). I’m angry that I said something wrong.”
Sandoval said he has “no hard feelings” toward Giants executive vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean concerning some tough contract negotiations last year.
“That’s part of his job,” Sandoval said. “He was doing his job. I was doing mine.”
Sandoval said he feels “great” about the Giants now.
“They gave me an opportunity to be in professional baseball,” Sandoval said. “They gave me an opportunity when I was 16 years old. They opened the door for me to be in the big leagues. They gave me three rings.”
Sandoval was a fan favorite during his time with the Giants, and he had a message for fans he might have offended with his earlier comments.
“The only thing I’m going to say to them is I always gave 150 percent on the field, always played hard for them, tried to win games for them and gave it my best effort out there to put on a great show for them,” Sandoval said. “They know that I love ‘em. That’s all that mattered.”
In his first season with Boston, Sandoval is hitting .302 with a .372 on-base percentage, a .448 slugging percentage, four homers and 15 RBIs in 30 games.
