As we eagerly awaited our first interviewee to emerge from the locker room, we stood and watched batting practice—immersed in the view of this awesome Park from the same spot all the players get the privilege everyday. Hunter Pence ambled over from the outfield and seemed surprised we were not requesting autographs, but instead an interview. He told us that stepping onto the field at AT&T Park is a “big rush.” Hunter went on to talk about his childhood baseball heroes who were Ken Griffey Jr., Dale Murphy, and Barry Bonds. When asked what it was like to get traded to another team, Pence replied, “It was definitely a roller coaster type of feeling,” he added, “Being a part of one city and playing for those fans makes you emotional as a player -- when I got traded to San Francisco, it was an exciting feeling because I was getting traded to a playoff team. And when we won the World Series, it was the best feeling in the world.”
We were truly taken aback by Hunter’s extreme humility and genuine kindness. He says of the Giants team that he is “tremendously honored to play with all the guys” saying, “We all really believe in each other—even when it gets hard.” Hunter had to return to batting practice, kindly bidding us farewell.
Professional baseball players know they are pretty blessed when they’re asked; “Which World Series was more memorable?” Professional athletes train and work every day for the honor of being a world champion—and most of the Giants have two rings. The Giant’s right-handed pitcher Tim Lincecum answered that the 2010 World Series victory had to be more memorable—as it was the first for the Giants in San Francisco. “Being on this team for all of my career then getting the chance to win two World Series is something special,” said Lincecum. We were a part of history in 2010 and as a team we rallied through so much to get to that spot.” When asked what the recent injuries to key players—most notably season ending surgery for starter Matt Cain—has done to the morale of the team, Lincecum responded “We have to keep pushing forward and working together as a team—every guy who fills a spot is going to have to work very hard.”