Longtime San Francisco Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval Tosses Gem in Atlantic League

Pablo Sandoval isn't the All-Star slugger he once was with the San Francisco Giants, but he did throw 5.1 scoreless innings for the Staten Island FerryHawks on Saturday.

Apr 28, 2018; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval (48) came in to pitch the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park. / Lance Iversen-Imagn Images

Pablo Sandoval was never a prototypical superstar, but he almost always found a way to play winning baseball when the lights were brightest.

He may not be playing on the biggest stage anymore, but the 38-year-old third baseman lent his talents to another winning effort in a unique way on Saturday.

Sandoval has been with the Staten Island FerryHawks in the independent Atlantic League this season, continuing to hold down the fort in the hot corner. He is batting .248 with 10 home runs, 79 RBI and a .677 OPS through 120 games, on top of making two spot relief appearances without allowing a run.

The FerryHawks made Sandoval their starting pitcher against the Lancaster Stormers on Saturday, though, marking a rare first in his storied professional career.

And Sandoval did not disappoint.

Sandoval tossed 5.1 scoreless innings, giving up just four hits and one walk while striking out four. He got credit for the win as well, with the FerryHawks defeating the Stormers 6-2.

Couldn’t write the story any better! There’s no one like the Panda 🐼
•
•@espn @SportsCenter @TalkinBaseball_ @MLBNetwork @barstoolsports @TheBsblr @StoolBaseball @MLBVenezuela https://t.co/AvKWoIdmvy pic.twitter.com/89t9ktHS5n

— SI FerryHawks (@FerryHawks) September 15, 2024

Between his two relief outings for the San Francisco Giants in 2018 and 2019, his two appearances for the FerryHawks earlier this season and his start on Saturday, Sandoval is now 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 0.857 WHIP across 9.1 innings in his professional career.

Sandoval was once one of baseball's best third baseman, emerging as a star soon after he made his MLB debut with the Giants in 2008. He won a World Series in 2010, was named an All-Star in 2011 and 2012, won World Series MVP in 2012 and secured a third championship ring in 2014.

To that point in his career, Sandoval was a .294 hitter with an .811 OPS, averaging 20 home runs, 86 RBI and a 3.8 WAR per 162 games. He signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the Boston Red Sox ahead of the 2015 campaign, though, and he was never the same.

Sandoval played just 161 games over three seasons in Boston before getting cut loose and finding his way back to San Francisco. He never approached All-Star status again, fizzling out with the Atlanta Braves in 2021.

After spending 2022 in Mexico, Sandoval joined Baseball United, a startup league in Dubai, in 2023. He spun that into a minor league contract and Spring Training invite from the Giants, although he was released just before the regular season began.

Looking at that path, it'd be easy to label Sandoval's career as a failure over the past decade. But considering what the 5-foot-10, 268-pound Venezuelan slugger has been able to do here in 2024 – both at the plate and on the mound – it's safe to say that baseball is better off with the Kung Fu Panda hanging around.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.