SF Giants: Sergio Romo says goodbye in emotional outing at Oracle Park
If it wasn’t already clear, a new era of SF Giants baseball is here. For the most part, the legends of the championship era have moved onto greener pastures: Madison Bumgarner after ‘19, Hunter Pence after ‘20, Buster Posey after ‘21, and Brandon Belt this past year. Only Brandon Crawford remains. But tonight, Crawford wasn’t alone.
In the seventh inning of tonight’s spring training game, Sergio Romo took the mound at Oracle Park one last time. One final time, Romo came sprinting out of the bullpen to the chorus of El Mechón, trumpets blaring as 40,000 chanted his name. And just as he did for so many years, he took his place on the mound, clad in orange and black.
Romo was charged with two balls before he had thrown a pitch from MLB's new pitch clock rules. So, starting behind in the count 2-0, he walked the first batter he faced. He then allowed a pair of singles and was pulled with the bases loaded before he could record an out. But I don't think anyone in attendance cared about the stats.
Romo’s journey didn’t begin with a fast track to superstardom. In 2005, he was drafted by the Giants in the 28th round out of Colorado Mesa University. Romo had some early flashes as a starter in the lower minor leagues, but he didn’t begin to flourish until he was moved to the bullpen in 2007. In High-A that year, Romo recorded 106 strikeouts and just 15 walks in 66.1 innings pitched with an elite 1.36 ERA. That rare combination of elite strikeout stuff with quality control proved a promising sign of things to come.
Romo made his MLB debut with the Giants in June of 2008, and quickly established himself as one of the team's best setup options. The quirky, jovial reliever endeared himself to San Francisco as part of the “Core Four,” a generationally dominant bullpen group that included Javier Lopez, Jeremy Affeldt, and Santiago Casilla. Together, they were integral to the Giants’ 2010 World Series run, bridging the gap between some of the MLB’s best starters and their electrifying closer, Brian Wilson.
After Wilson's star faded, though, the Giants needed a new closer. Casilla appeared to take control of the job early in 2012, converting his first 20 save attempts in a row. But by July, Casilla was struggling with the pressures of closing. Worried about the back of the bullpen, Giants manager Bruce Bochy gave Romo his first real shot to close.
He ran with it.
Romo finished the season with a 1.79 ERA in 69 appearances with 14 saves, but his most impressive performance would come when the lights shone brightest. During the Giants’ second championship run, Romo surrendered just four hits, a walk, and one run over 10.1 innings pitched during the 2012 playoffs. He recorded four saves, three of which came in the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. In one of the biggest World Series upsets this century, the Giants swept a star-studded Tigers roster. Romo recorded the final out of the series, striking out Miguel Cabrera by sneaking a fastball by him on the outside corner.
Tonight, all those memories came flooding back. Romo is one of the longest-tenured major leaguers around, having been in the big leagues since 2007. Over his career, Romo recorded a 3.21 ERA in 821 appearances. He racked up 789 strikeouts and 137 saves in 722.2 innings pitched between the Giants, Twins, Rays, A’s, Dodgers, Mariners, Marlins, and Blue Jays.
For all those memories, though, tonight’s was special - validation for the years of doubt and joy that Romo built his life out of. The fulfillment of promises made long ago to the folks who guided him here.
Romo, by his own admission, is too humble a man to believe that he’s deserving of such fanfare. But there’s no faking the audience that came to see him off. There was Hunter Pence, bouncing out to the mound to greet his old friend once more. There was Gabe Kapler, embracing Romo like he’d just saved another World Series game. There were you and I, cherishing every moment of his legacy one last time.
Maybe it is hard to believe. But the tears streaming down Sergio Romo’s face as an entire stadium poured out their love seemed real enough.
