San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval hit his 100th career home run Tuesday night, fulfilling a birthday wish in the process.
In a team-sponsored Facebook chat before the game, a fan asked Kung Fu Panda if he could hit a home run for her son, who was attending that night’s game for his birthday. Sandoval replied, “I will try!”
Of course, Sandoval succeeded and said after the game that he thought about the birthday boy as he crossed the plate in the Giants’ 5-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Panda also had his lucky cowboy boots to thank, after he brought them to AT&T Park on Tuesday after abandoning them for a time. The Giants were in a four-game skid, and Sandoval had gone deep just twice in 11 games. Sandoval himself had gone 12 games without a homer, so he was glad that this one was a milestone.
“I was excited to get it at this moment when we needed it,” Sandoval said.
Sandoval is the 19th Giant to hit 100 home runs in the San Francisco era.
“One hundred home runs, and we’ve gotten to see them all; I know I did,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’d be nice to see him hit another 100.”
