World Series 2014: Hunter Pence reveals character with his salute to troops
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hunter Pence was the center of the baseball world as he rounded the bases after his first-inning home run in Game 1 of the World Series, and rightly so.
His two-run blast gave San Francisco a 3-0 lead just five batters into the game, and with Giants ace Madison Bumgarner on the mound, everyone in the stadium knew that might be enough for the visitors to take the opener of the Fall Classic. Turns out, it was.
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But that wasn’t what stood out most to me.
A few minutes earlier, before the start of the game, I just happened to glance out toward the fountains beyond Kauffman Stadium’s fence and something caught my eye. The servicemen and servicewomen who had presented the giant American flag for the national anthem were lined up along the warning track, holding the flag and waiting to exit the field.
And there was Pence, going down the line and shaking hands with as many of those brave men and women as he could before he had to get back to his dugout. Not just the quick grip-and-a-glance shake, either, but the type of handshakes that used both hands and direct eye contact.
Here was Pence, mere moments from the first pitch of Game 1 of the World Series, taking the time and effort to thank those who have dedicated their lives to the service of their country. And because they were all lined up along the wall, and because Pence’s Giants uniform was relatively close in color to the uniforms worn by the servicemen and servicewomen, barely anyone noticed, which is how I imagine Pence wanted it.
After the game, I asked a handful of his teammates if they saw those interactions.
They all had pretty much the same response.
“I didn’t see that, but it doesn’t surprise me,” starter Jake Peavy said. “But you can’t tell me anything about Hunter Pence that he does or says that will surprise me, especially when it’s good, because that’s who this guy is.”
Brandon Crawford: “I didn’t see it. But that’s Hunter. He’s looking out for everyone else and he’s not always focused on himself or anything like that.”
Brandon Belt: “I don’t doubt it one bit. He’s just that type of guy.”
That’s the type of guy you can root for, even if you’re not a Giants fan.
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