The Giants’ third baseman was supposed to be Eduardo Nunez. But he got hurt, so the even-year wonders turned back to a guy they drafted in 2008, traded, then brought back when he was released a year ago.
Conor Gillaspie merely rewarded the Giants by smashing the biggest home run of the season, a three-run, ninth-inning blast against Jeurys Familia that delivered all the scoring in a 3-0 wild-card victory over the Mets on Wednesday at Citi Field.
“I had played some during the year. I wasn’t an everyday guy, and that wasn’t my role. And I’m just as happy to do that,” said Gillaspie, who crushed a 1-1 Familia sinker into the bullpen in right. “To be able to come into a situation like this and just barrel the ball is — yeah, it went out of the park — but to be able to just come in and have your team behind you and have staff believe in you when somebody goes down, I can’t thank this organization enough.”
Gillaspie showed some appreciation Sunday when he made a ridiculous head-first tumbling dive-and-catch into the camera well in San Francisco during the rout of the Dodgers that clinched the Giants’ wild-card status. It was a catch that left some speechless.
Sort of like what Gillaspie’s homer that ended the Mets’ season did to him.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I had words to describe that moment. Absolutely incredible, I guess is the best I can do,” said Gillaspie — whose one-out homer, for the team with the third fewest home runs in baseball this season, followed a double by Brandon Crawford and walk to Joe Panik.
“You know, as a kid and as a player at this level, you look forward to just getting a hit in the postseason just to help your team,” Gillaspie said. “Wow, I mean, I’m a lucky guy.”
Gillaspie made the Giants as a non-roster invitee after being designated for assignment by the Angels in August 2015. The Giants, after drafting him, dealt him to the White Sox in 2013, who in turn traded him to the Angels last year.
“It’s been, I guess, a little bit of a tough road for him. He was starting there in Chicago. We had him earlier, and we thought a lot of him and brought him back here,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Starts out in the minor leagues and works his way back up here.
“Here we lose Nunez and we needed help there, and he’s done more than that. Not just with the bat, offensively, but what he did tonight, he’ll never forget that hit or will I or this whole club. He’s just filled in so nicely.”
Yeah, the Mets are thrilled about that.
The journey was tough. But worth it, as Gillaspie made his first postseason game more than memorable.
“I was a little bit immature, I guess, as a younger guy,” Gillaspie said. “I had a great time playing in Chicago and a little bit in Anaheim. At the end of last year, I kind of took baseball for granted, I guess you could say, a little bit. I was home, and I did some soul searching, I guess you could say, and realized that I had kind of made baseball the number one thing in my life.
“Just to be able to play in a postseason game is something that you’ll never forget as a player.”
