SAN FRANCISCO–They observed the grind.
They witnessed his struggles.
And above all, they experienced the challenges he faced alongside them.
So when Hunter Pence hit a dribbler past Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer to send the Giants home with a 3-2 walkoff win in the bottom of the 11th inning Sunday, the Giants raced out of the dugout like they had just won a playoff game.
They embraced Pence, a .193 hitter entering Sunday’s contest, with the biggest bear hugs imaginable and wore smiles brighter than the sun that shined down on AT&T Park for the matinee affair.