Former San Francisco Giant Elaborates On Past Inflammatory Comments

Mauricio Dubon clarified what he meant by comments he made after he was traded to Houston.

Jun 8, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Houston Astros center fielder Mauricio Dubon (14) runs down a single by Los Angeles Angels first baseman Willie Calhoun (5) in the third inning at Angel Stadium. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants are hosting the Houston Astros for a three game set, meaning they are hosting a former player of theirs, Mauricio Dubon. Dubon, who grew up just a couple of hours from Oracle Park, spent parts of four seasons with the Giants before being traded to the Astros in 2022. When he faced the Giants in 2023, he had some choice words about his former team's management.

In his first game facing the Giants as a member of the Astros, Dubon hit a go ahead RBI double that eventually gave Houston a win. After that game, he talked about how much it meant to "beat these guys" and that he "was not treated the right way."

He praised then Astros Dusty Baker, noting "with Dusty here now, I'm in heaven."

This earned Dubon some scorn from Giants' fans, who did not particularly like that a former Giant and a local player was talking about the team in the way that he was. In 177 games in a San Francisco uniform, Dubon hit 15 home runs with an 89 OPS+ and career .259 batting average. A lot of the comments in opposition to Dubon were to say that he did not play well enough to be making these comments, despite his versatility at so many positions like centerfield and shortstop.

In his return to Oracle Park in 2024, he went on the local radio show "Papa & Lund" to elaborate on what he said in the past.

"It was funny, just because all the guys knew what I was talking about," Dubon told the hosts. "All the guys knew what was going on and everything. Everything came out the wrong way, honestly"

Dubon went on the say that when he got home later, he thought to himself "Ah, I need to clarify that."

His comments were not about the organization as a whole, though. "I was treated the right way by some people, except for the people making the decisions," he said. Seemingly, talking about former manager Gabe Kapler.

In his new role with Houston, Dubon thrived in his first full season. Playing 132 games in 2023, he put up a career year with a .720 OPS and 10 home runs. So far in 2024, he has put up what would be a career high 105 OPS+.

The Honduras born, Sacramento product has no ill-will towards San Francisco, or its fans, though. He spoke on being excited to return to The Bay, and was particularly excited to be heckled as an opposing player.

"...I can't wait to get heckled over there. I used to come and heckle people, so I'm excited."