A rivalry and a game-winning hit: What Longoria’s reaction reveals about pressure

SAN FRANCISCO — Two weeks into his first season with the Giants, Andrew McCutchen authored a signature moment that endeared him to the team’s fan base.

Last April, McCutchen blasted a three-run walk-off home run to send the Giants to an emotional 14th-inning win over the Dodgers. McCutchen screamed as he left the batter’s box and stomped across home plate as he was greeted by a new set of teammates.

“For the people that stayed around and watched that game, it was awesome,” McCutchen said that night. “To be able to do that in front of this fan base is great.”

It was the type of moment every baseball player dreams about. It was also one Evan Longoria never experienced in his first season with the Giants.

Like McCutchen, Longoria was acquired by trade in the winter before the 2018 season and expected to fortify a roster the Giants believed could contend in the National League West. Nothing went according to plan for the Giants, who lost 89 games, or Longoria, who posted the worst batting average, on-base percentage and OPS of his career.

“It was tough last year and it was even tougher than I thought it was going to be,” Longoria said this spring. “More mentally than anything, but you try to prepare as much as you can for it but the unknown is something that you’ve just got to go through.”

Longoria got off to a rough start in 2018 and the first month of his second season in San Francisco hasn’t looked much different. On Monday, he began the game on the bench for the second straight day as manager Bruce Bochy started Pablo Sandoval in his place.

A minor knee injury prevented Sandoval from hitting right-handed, which forced Bochy to replace the switch-hitter when the Dodgers turned to left-hander Scott Alexander in the sixth inning. Though Longoria flew out in his first at-bat, he came up with the bases loaded and the Giants trailing 2-0 in the seventh.

More than a year after McCutchen carved out a small place in the storied history of the Giants-Dodgers rivalry, Longoria finally did the same. A bases-clearing double into the left field corner gave the Giants a 3-2 lead and served as the game-winning hit in a narrow win.

A crowd of 32,212 erupted at Oracle Park, as the cheer following Longoria’s double was the loudest Giants fans have given this season.

“I’ve been waiting for that hit in a Giants uniform for a long time,” Longoria said. “More than a year.”

Unlike many baseball players who prefer not to dive into the toll poor performances take, Longoria is refreshingly candid. The veteran third baseman admitted he had no valid reason to complain after being benched for the second straight day, trusting that Bochy would pen a lineup that gave the Giants the best chance to win.

“I’m hitting .200 so it’s not something I can really go in the office and say, ‘Hey, why Pablo?’ Pablo’s been good,” Longoria said. “Let’s just ride the hot hand and be ready when I get the opportunity.”

Longoria received his opportunity, and the fact his game-winning hit came against the Dodgers brought him an even greater sense of satisfaction. His struggles at the plate have hurt the Giants, but his desire to do what’s best for the team in a difficult situation has made an impression on Bochy.

“I don’t care how long you’ve been in the game, you’ve still want to do some good things for your team,” Bochy said. “He wants to win, Longo is all about the team. That’s what I’ve really found out about him and loved about him. He’ll do whatever.”

For some players, the chance to settle in following a trade or a change of scenery happens immediately. Recently acquired center fielder Kevin Pillar hit a grand slam in his sixth game with the Giants and a three-run double that led the club to a win in his seventh.

Pillar later referred to himself as a “hopeless romantic,” who loves the chance to write a storybook ending to a game, but not everyone can be a hero.

Sometimes it takes a week or two and sometimes a moment to be the hero never comes at all. That’s why after waiting for more than a year, Longoria was so relieved.

Cueto throws a bullpen

Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto threw his first bullpen Tuesday as he continues to rehabilitate from Tommy John surgery. Cueto underwent surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow last August and has made steady progress since beginning a throwing program this spring.

Bochy said the Giants are still unsure whether Cueto will be available to start games over the final month of the season, but he’s pleased with the way Cueto has progressed over the last several months.