Pablo Sandoval has been attempting a comeback at age 37 with the San Francisco Giants -- the team that first signed him out of Venezuela and the team with which he won three World Series and spent 11 of his 14 big-league seasons. Given his prominence on those championship Giants teams and his affable personality, Sandoval remains a deeply popular figure in San Francisco.
Still, Sandoval's age and the fact that he hasn't had even a productive partial season since 2019 -- and hasn't played at the big-league level since 2021 -- made his comeback attempt something of a longshot. When the Giants signed third baseman Matt Chapman late in the offseason, that essentially ensured Sandoval, in camp on an NRI, would not have a spot on the roster for Opening Day. As such, the Giants' final exhibition game of the spring was likely his last chance to leave a final impression on the organization with which he'll be forever linked.
Fortunately for those with a sense of theater, the Giants' final exhibition contest, against the cross-Bay A's, took place at Oracle Park, their home field in San Francisco. That setting provided Sandoval with a more than proper send-off. Even more proper was that Sandoval managed a broken-bat single in his final at-bat of the game, which gave the home crowd another opportunity to fete him:
"I think this is one of the most special moments I've had in my career," Sandoval said after the game. "I don't know if it's my last at-bat here, but it was great. It was unbelievable. Getting that hit was the most important thing for the fans. Not for me, but for the fans."
Notably, Sandoval suggested he was not giving up on his comeback attempt even with no path to a roster spot with the Giants. He also expressed a willingness to go back to the minors. "Everyone thinks I'm retiring," Sandoval told reporters, including MLB.com's Maria Guardado. "I'm not. I'm going to continue playing. If I get the opportunity to go to Sacramento, I will. If not, I'm going to continue to work hard to get back."
Whatever the future holds for Sandoval, what figures to be his final moment in San Francisco stands as one of many memorable ones for him there.
