Sandoval strikes out four, earns win in independent league start

Sandoval strikes out four, earns win in independent league start originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It’s never too late to try something new, and Pablo Sandoval proved it.

The former Giants star third baseman and World Series MVP made his first professional start Saturday night for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

After being released from a minor league contract by the Giants in late March, Sandoval joined the FerryHawks two weeks later, extending his historic 16-year career.

Primarily serving as Staten Island’s third baseman, the 38-year-old is batting .248 with 10 home runs, 79 RBI and a .677 OPS through 120 games.

But Saturday’s indy ball shift was a bit different for the World Series hero.

In 5 1/3 innings against the Lancaster Barnstormers, Sandoval didn’t allow any runs on four hits with four strikeouts and one walk, while going 1-for-3 at the plate as Staten Island’s No. 3 hitter.

Having made a career on the hot corner, Sandoval’s arm strength has never been in question, pitching two relief scoreless outings for the Giants in 2018 and 2019.

Earlier this season, Sandoval took the mound twice, coming in as a reliever both times for the FerryHawks. In two innings of work, he gave up one hit, two walks and zero runs.

Sandoval’s memorable career certainly took a noteworthy turn on Saturday. The question now is if he has other surprises in store before he finally calls it a career.

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