On the day when Hunter Pence first arrived with the Giants via a midseason trade in 2012, after he dropped his red duffel bag and said hello to new locker mate Tim Lincecum and the reporters gathered around, he told a story.



He spoke of the same elderly fan in right field who would wear him out each time he played at AT&T Park, first with the Houston Astros and then with the Philadelphia Phillies.



“She would call me ‘Bird Legs’ all game,” said Pence, who then shifted into a scratchy, high-pitched voice. “She’d be, ‘Hey Bird Legs, you can’t hit the ball out of the infield. Loser!’ I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ Pretty funny, right? They’re clever here.”



With his pants hiked up past his knees and his trademark high socks, Pence’s bird legs were apparent for all to see. It wasn’t until later that summer, and over the six seasons to follow, that Giants fans, teammates and...