By mlblogssfgiants1

I’m always talking about how important it is to have to have fun in this game. Well, let me tell you the most fun part of our win against the Mets last night.

It was in the seventh inning. The score was tied at 1. Nunez had reached second on a double. Then the Mets intentionally walked Panik. So we had guys on first and second with the pitcher’s spot coming up.

Bochy sent me to the on-deck circle. The Mets countered by bringing in a lefty to face me. Then Boch pulled me back and sent up Adrianza to have a righty batter against their lefty.

It didn’t bother me at all that I didn’t get to bat. I’ll tell you why.

Ady and I are bench players. So are Conor Gillaspie and Trevor Brown. It’s a small club. I’ve belonged to the club longer than any of them. So I know the job better than any of them. You play a couple games here, a couple games there. You don’t have any rhythm to your at-bats. You can’t play your way out of a slump because you don’t play enough.

When Conor got here, he asked me, “Hey, man, how do you do it? How do you do this for so many years?’’

I told him, like I always tell Ady and Trevor, “It’s not easy. It’s a hard job.’’

But I tell them you have to stay positive. Go to the park every day, do your work. Stay ready. Cheer for your teammates. Never complain. It doesn’t matter if you have one at-bat in one week. In that at-bat, you just go out and do it. If you don’t come through, don’t get down on yourself.

I’m going through a tough stretch right now, and I’ll come out of it. But I’m always more about the group anyway. We’re in this together — me, Ady, Conor and Trevor. We talk a lot. We always to try to help each other.

So when Ady singled to drive in Nunez and put us ahead, 2–1, I was yelling my head off in the dugout. I see how hard he works every day to be ready. I know better than anyone how hard it is to be on the bench the whole game then come into a high-pressure situation and face a tough pitcher fresh out of the bullpen.

I was so happy for Ady.

And then in the eighth, here comes Conor off the bench. And he hits a two-run homer over the right-field wall to put the game out of reach.

A good day for the boys on the bench.

Every win is a lot of fun. But I have to be honest. It’s even more fun when one of the guys comes through the way they did last night.

We have a month-and-a-half left, and I believe we’ll do great things. And at some point, I believe I’ll be a big part of it again.

Thank you so much for cheering us the way you always do. Positive energy is so important to playing our best, and when our tanks are running low, you’re there to fill them back up. Keep it coming!