Ryan Vogelsong re-signs with Giants for $4 million in burger money
There’s no Super Duper Burger in Houston, so maybe that made free-agent pitcher Ryan Vogelsong’s decision easier.
Vogelsong — pitcher and noted superstitious eater — has reportedly decided to re-sign with the San Francisco Giants instead of jumping to the AL West to pitch for the Houston Astros. It sounded earlier in the week like a deal with the Astros was close, but then Vogelsong was pulled back to S.F.
Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports had the news first, reporting that Vogelsong is getting $4 million for 2015, which buys plenty of his lucky burgers:
It was the Giants who brought Vogelsong back to the big leagues in 2011 after three seasons in Japan. He pitched on two World Series teams and became an All-Star. He wasn’t at his best in 2014 (8-13 with a 4.00 ERA), but he gave the Giants 182 innings and an important performance in their NLDS clincher against the Washington Nationals.
With the Giants rotation riddled with question marks — Matt Cain’s elbow and ankle, Tim Hudson’s ankle, Tim Lincecum’s entire being — bringing back Vogelsong, 37, makes sense, even if it’s not as exciting as going out and spending big on James Shields.
Let’s also not understate the fact that Giants fans love Vogelsong. They’ve treated a castaway claimed from Japan like a star — eating the same meal he did the night before his starts. He’s superstitious like that.
Rally enchiladas were a thing in 2012, but by the end of last season, Vogelsong had turned S.F. chain Super Duper Burger into his go-to good-luck meal.
Four million bucks buys a lot of burgers. Heck, Vogelsong could probably open up his own franchise, if he wanted.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
