SAN FRANCISCO — Wilmer Flores added another head-turning chapter to his already deep book of MLB lore.
The veteran utility man, already a Giants fan-favorite, did something in San Francisco’s 9-1 win over the Athletics on Friday at Oracle Park that the 41,112 fans in attendance, regardless of which team they support, will remember forever.
Flores hit not one, not two, but three home runs and drove in eight runs in the game, giving him 10 homers and 41 RBI — tied with New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge for the MLB lead — on the season.
“‘Just Wilmer things,’ that’s what we always say,” Giants pitcher Logan Webb said postgame.
Flores, who historically has slow starts to seasons, is off to the best start of his 13-year career, and after an injury plagued 2024 season, not only has returned to peak form, but is on pace to blow past the 23-home run, 60-RBI career-best campaign he had in 2023.
His 2024 season was cut short due to a right knee injury that required surgery, and Flores admitted there were times last year when he doubted whether he ever would return to that level of play, but coming into spring training this year, he knew he still had that in him.
“Because I’ve done it before,” Flores said when asked why he was confident he could return to form. “If I’m at the plate [and] I’m competing, that’s all I need.”
As he rehabbed throughout the offseason, many outside the organization doubted whether Flores would be back with the Giants in 2025 under new leadership, led by president of baseball operations and former Flores teammate, Buster Posey, who took over in the fall.
The veteran infielder exercised his $3.5 million player option in November, and despite being under contract, it still wasn’t clear if there would be much of a role for him this season. It turns out, he might just be the best bargain in all of baseball.
“I don’t know that anybody would have predicted this,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said postgame. “But when he came back in spring training, you saw that it was pretty normal to what we’ve seen before. We felt good about him, but I don’t think anybody could have predicted this.”
“I’m just so happy for him,” Webb added. “Dealing with injuries last year and coming back this year, he’s a huge part of our team and we missed him last year. Seeing him healthy this year and back to doing what Wilmer does is really cool.”
Flores, whether he’s hitting three home runs or going 0-for-4 at the plate, is as consistent and dialed in with his approach as anyone in the Giants’ clubhouse, and his teammates have the upmost respect for him because of it.
“There’s a lot of things,” Webb said when asked what he loves about Flores. “One thing, my favorite thing, is he is the exact same guy every single day. He works his butt off, he always seems like he’s locked in, he’s ready to go.
“He just does everything, and he’s a true professional. If I were to tell someone how to act or how to be a professional baseball player, I’d point right at Wilmer Flores and say, ‘Hey, this is how you do it.”
Webb also mentioned that Flores is his favorite player, and it’s a safe bet that he’s not the only player in the Orange and Black — or around the league — who shares that sentiment.
“Everybody loves Wilmer here,” Melvin said. “Everybody around the league loves Wilmer. He’s about as respected of a guy as you’re going to come across, so it’s great to have someone have a game like that, it’s double good that it’s Wilmer. And I think everybody really embraces him here. He’s a leader.”
Flores has had plenty of big moments throughout his five-plus seasons with the Giants and throughout his MLB career, but his monster game on Friday ranks at the very top of his list.
“This has to be my favorite,” Flores shared. “I’ve had some good ones, but we lost the games, so this is a better one [because] we won.”
The three hits are nice. So are the three homers. Not to mention the eight RBI. But the win always will be the most important thing.
Just Wilmer things.
Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast
Read the full article here