SF Giants legends Will Clark and Matt Williams get back to work after surgeries
Two legendary SF Giants infielders went under the knife this spring, but they are both back at work. Matt Williams returned to the San Diego Padres dugout after his procedure to remove a cancerous growth near his colon. Will Clark had hip surgery, but also returned to his office: The batter's box.
"The update is that the surgery went really well," Williams told reporters Thursday, less than two weeks after he left the team for treatment. He won't be back to his full duties for another month, as doctors haven't yet cleared him to coach third base or hit baseballs to Padres fielders. Williams still has cancer treatment ahead of him, but shared that his doctor was "confident."
Clark didn't share details of his own surgery, preferring to let his sweet swing do all the explaining for him. The former All-Star first baseman, now a special assistant to the SF Giants, was smacking the ball at the cages. Clark was hitting ropes, showing that even a fresh hip didn't affect his uncanny ability, at age 59, to still make loud contact.
We can probably safely assume Clark wore eye black and stared down the anesthesiologist before going under the knife.
In true "Wanna feel old?" fashion, Williams and Clark both have had hip surgery in the past 14 months, with Williams' hip replacement in 2022 also keeping him out of the third base coaching box early in the season. Former Padres manager Mike Shildt is again filling in for Williams coaching third, one year after subbing in as third base coach, first base coach, and bench coach due to various Padres medical issues.
Maybe that's why the Giants have a 13-person coaching staff? The team is prepared for any eventuality - surgery, ejections, or an Achilles injury during a home run trot. Poor Gabe.
A true gamer, Williams was immediately thinking about coaching in the aftermath of his surgery.
"I woke up and I asked what time batting practice was," Williams told reporters. "I let my brother know that I had to get to the ballpark so I could hit Croney (San Diego's Jake Cronenworth) grounders. My family has video of it so I'll never live that one down."
We know Williams is a supportive coach, because he immediately clarified that "Cronenworth is the last person who needs grounders."
Even if the Padres really need someone to hit grounders, they can't borrow Will Clark from the SF Giants. Bad hip or not, that guy only hits line drives and bombs.
