SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - When last we left the Giants on the field in San Francisco, Pablo Sandoval was being mobbed at home plate after he homered in the ninth inning to beat the Padres in the final game of 2017, a joyous punctuation to a joyless season.
The Giants liked what they saw of Sandoval and wanted to see more, so they brought him back for 2018. On Wednesday, he brought his cacophonous personality into Scottsdale Stadium, greeting teammates with hollers and backslaps.
"In the clubhouse, I'm the loudest guy," Sandoval said. That was a boast, not an apology.