May 25th, 2013

It was one year ago today that Angel Pagan delivered what was probably the most thrilling moment of the disappointing 2013 season.

In the bottom of the tenth, down by one, Crawford on 2nd with one out, Angel Pagan hit a ball off of Rockies’ pitcher Rafael Betancourt deep into triples alley where it bounced off the bricks into center field and as Pagan rounded second, Tim Flannery waved him around third and Pagan slid home for the walk-off-two-run-inside-the-park-home-run.

Duane Kuiper’s call still gives me the chills.

That win over Colorado that day gave the Giants’ a 27-22 record that was good enough for a share of first place in the division with those same Rockies and the Arizona Diamond Backs. Unfortunately for the Giants, Pagan wouldn’t take the field again until August 30th where the team found themselves 15 games under .500.

Granted, Pagan’s absence wasn’t the only reason the Giants went from the division lead to the division cellar, but I do believe that his injury is what triggered the implosion.

Pagan would wind up hitting .386 upon his return for the Giants’ last 25 games.

A year later, Pagan leads the team, batting .316 with a .362 OBP, nine stolen bags, and 11 doubles. He’s played in all but five games this year and has shown what an important asset he is to the Giants in helping lead them to a Major League leading 31-18 record.

As well as the Giants were playing at this time last year, there just seems to be a different feeling right now.

Last year, it was pretty smooth sailing before Pagan’s injury. Granted, we had already endured the nightmare in Toronto by that point and lost an underperforming Vogelsong to injury, but I felt like the wheels really hadn’t begun to fall off until Pagan went down. We hadn’t been trampled 15-1 between two games in a split double header in St. Louis yet. We hadn’t been embarrassed at home by the Miami Marlins yet. We hadn’t been swept in LA or no-hit in Cincinnati yet, either.

This year, it seems as if we had already navigated through our share of setbacks. Our home run leading first baseman got shelved with a broken thumb. Our former World Series MVP third basemen suffered the slumpiest slump of all slumpin’ time. Our pitcher who we call “The Horse” sat on the DL once already and is slated to miss another start. We’ve lost two relief pitchers to hamstring injuries as they boogied down the first baseline. And, our second baseman, whom without, we would’ve never had the opportunity to sweep Detroit in 2012, still has yet to take the field, nearly two months into the season.

That’s not to say that just one injury can bring this all crashing down, and it still remains to be seen how the team responds to Casilla’s and Cain’s injuries, but this is a different bunch from last year. This team is turning in quality starts backed by home runs, fantastic defense, and a sensational bullpen. This team has battled through everything thrown its way and has emerged on top. This team is hungry.

Today, a year removed from Pagan’s spectacular play, the Giants host Minnesota with a chance for their third sweep of the season and improve to 6-0 against the American League.

Pablo Sandoval, who has been carrying the offense lately, looks to stay hot behind pitcher, Madison Bumgarner who opposes Twins’ pitcher, Ricky Nolasco.