When it comes to the playoffs, Hunter Pence is better known for his rousing pregame speeches more than anything else. On Tuesday night, though, he came up big on the field.
The San Francisco Giants are heading to yet another National League Championship Series after eliminating the Washington Nationals in four games. The Giants’ offense wasn’t anything special — they scored their runs Tuesday on a wild pitch, a walk and a groundout — but the defense was airtight.
That was especially true from Pence, who made arguably the biggest play of his career in the sixth inning at AT&T Park.
With his Nationals trailing 2-1, Jayson Werth hit a deep fly ball to right field, and Pence raced back to the wall and leaped into the air for the ball. If he didn’t make the catch, there was a good chance the ball would ricochet away from him and give Werth a triple. Fortunately for the Giants, however, Pence made the snag with his outstretched glove before crashing into the wall.
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Pence added a single and is hitting .273 in the playoffs — about 70 points higher than his career postseason batting average entering 2014.
Thumbnail photo via Kelley L. Cox/USA TODAY Sports Images
