Yusmeiro Petit has been glue for Giants’ pitching staff

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Three years ago, nobody wanted Yusmeiro Petit.

Petit was 26, a onetime Diamondbacks starter adrift in baseball no-man’s-land. He lingered at home in Miami for more than a month after the Mariners released him in April 2011 — waiting, hoping, praying another major-league organization would call.

None did.

His only offer came from the Mexican League, so he embarked on a humbling, off-the-radar, nowhere-near-The-Show adventure. Petit grew up in Venezuela, where baseball is king and had consumed him at an early age, and he had no intention of relinquishing his dreams.

He landed in a $115-per-month pension hotel in Oaxaca, Mexico. Off the field, he worried about his safety and was unnerved by frequent stares from the locals, who apparently were fascinated by his size (6-foot-1, 250 pounds).

On the field, Petit worked at his craft. He threw strikes, as always, and learned to mix up his pitches better than he had in Arizona. Petit insisted he never lost faith in his ability, even while spending most of the summer in Mexico.

“I go there because I don’t have other options,” he said.

After giving up a single, Giants starter Yusmeiro Petit pumped his fist after striking out the side.The San Francisco Giants face the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday September 14, 2014 at AT&T Park. After giving up a single, Giants starter Yusmeiro Petit pumped his fist after striking out the side.The San Francisco Giants face the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday September 14, 2014 at AT&T Park. Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Yusmeiro Petit has been glue for Giants’ pitching staff 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Petit spoke these words last week in the dugout at AT&T Park, hours before the Giants wrapped up the National League pennant. They will begin the World Series on Tuesday night in Kansas City, and it’s perfectly reasonable to suggest they might not be there without Petit.

Stunning statistics

He has pitched the equivalent of a complete-game, two-hit shutout this postseason. First he threw six scoreless innings of relief Oct. 4 in Washington, as the Giants outlasted the Nationals in Game 2 of the NLDS in 18 innings. Then he added three more shutout innings Oct. 15, allowing his team the time to rally and win Game 4 of the NLCS against the Cardinals.

Petit’s playoff numbers: 2-0 record, nine innings, two hits, no runs, four walks, 11 strikeouts.

This remarkable journey — from utter obscurity to shining on the grand October stage — unfolded after the Giants found Petit playing winter ball in Venezuela later in 2011. Hitting coach Hensley Meulens filled a similar role for the Bravos de Margaritas, and Giants minor-league infield instructor Jose Alguacil was the team’s third-base coach.

They were always looking for players to recommend to club officials, and Petit was unquestionably Margarita’s ace. He didn’t throw especially hard, a big reason most major-league teams weren’t interested, but he had terrific command of his pitches and a deceptive delivery.

Even so, Meulens marveled at Petit’s path the past three-plus years.

“It’s unbelievable,” Meulens said. “He never thought he was going to get another chance — he was thinking about going back to Mexico (in 2012). That’s so far away from the major leagues.”

Guillermo Quiroz, a Triple-A catcher in the Giants’ system, is similarly moved by Petit’s meandering path to big-league success. Quiroz and Petit share a hometown of Maracaibo, Venezuela, and they played together on the team that won the 1994 Little League World Series. Quiroz described Petit, then a backup second baseman who was younger than his teammates, as Maracaibo’s “mascot.”

So when Petit broke a major-league record in August, retiring his 46th consecutive batter, Quiroz watched with special interest.

“I get chills thinking about it,” he said. “I was watching the game on TV in Fresno, and I had tears in my eyes. It was unreal.”

Baseball-mad town

Maracaibo sits at the heart of Venezuela’s obsession with baseball. The country’s only Hall of Famer, smooth-as-silk shortstop Luis Aparicio, grew up there. So did Wilson Alvarez, a left-handed pitcher who won 102 games in the majors and threw a no-hitter in 1991.

Petit was 6 then, but he already was immersed in the game. He started tossing around a baseball at age 3, encouraged by his father, and he grew to admire Alvarez.

After he finished high school, Petit wanted to pursue a baseball career. His dad, an agricultural surveyor, was skeptical and gave his son a deadline to make it happen.

“He said I had to go to the university,” Petit said. “I said, 'Hold on one second, give me a chance in professional baseball. My dream is to play in the major leagues.’ So he said, 'OK, take one year. And if you don’t have a chance, come back to school.’”

That served as ample motivation. Petit signed with the Mets eight months later in November 2001 (for $20,000) and began his odyssey in the minor leagues.

Journeyman career

He reached the majors with the Marlins in 2006 and made 35 starts over the next three seasons with the Diamondbacks. Petit threw lots of strikes, but his career record at that point was only 10-20. Arizona released him, and he spent 2010 with Quiroz at Triple-A Tacoma, in Seattle’s organization.

Then he went to Mexico, both his nadir and his springboard.

“I think he got a taste of the other side, and he was really trying to do everything he could to get back to the big leagues,” said Alguacil, the Giants’ minor-league instructor. “Going to Mexico, and seeing nothing was happening, I think he matured.

“He’s been waiting for this chance for so long. This is his third year with us, and every year he’s been proving himself and trying to open everybody’s eyes. I think he’s doing that now.”

Petit started opening eyes last year, when he went 4-1 in seven starts and nearly threw a perfect game against the Diamondbacks. One big factor: He developed a good curveball. Pitching coach Dave Righetti knew Petit needed another pitch, so Righetti worked with him on the curve when he joined the organization in 2012.

Easily adaptable

Now, in addition to throwing strikes with machine-like efficiency, Petit offers an unpredictable variety of pitches. That made him a natural choice when Tim Lincecum faltered this season, and Petit went 5-5 with a 3.69 ERA in 12 starts and 27 relief appearances.

He adapted well to this dual role. Some fans will clamor for Petit, not Ryan Vogelsong, to start Game 4 against the Royals, but Righetti and manager Bruce Bochy appreciate the flexibility Petit provides in long relief.

“He knows how to warm up and how to stay ready — it just seems to fit his temperament,” Righetti said. “I’m not saying he doesn’t have eyes on being a full-time starter again, but he understands what we’re asking of him, and he’s done a hell of a job.”

Now the man with the neat, distinctive beard counts as one big cog in the World Series engine. The Giants not only want him, they need him.

Ron Kroichick is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ronkroichick

World Series

All games on Channel: 2Channel: 40

Game 1: Tuesday at Kansas City, 5:07 p.m.

Game 2: Wednesday at Kansas City, 5:07 p.m.

Game 3: Friday at AT&T Park, 5:07 p.m.

Game 4: Saturday at AT&T Park, 5:07 p.m.

Game 5*: Oct. 26 at AT&T Park, 5:07 p.m.

Game 6*: Oct. 28 at Kansas City, 5:07 p.m.

Game 7*: Oct. 29 at Kansas City, 5:07 p.m.