Not the beginning of his unthinkable slew of injuries, Affeldt strained his knee in 2011 while catching his son as he jumped off the couch at their home.
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Finally, Affeldt said that Game 7 performance “started the door opening” to his decision to retire. He went on to also play a pivotal role in the Giants’ subsequent World Series titles in 2012 and 2014.
He signed with the Giants prior to the 2009 campaign and would remain in San Francisco for seven years until his retirement. Maybe my feelings have a little something to do with me being winless at Wrigley (5.59 lifetime ERA!), but still, I won’t miss that place. The problem, though, is that the city, more than any other I’ve played in, seems to condone and nearly revel in its fans crossing the line.
“It’s time for me to walk away …” “When I was at home I was not present, I was at the field, and my sons and my bride felt that”.
While it’s often hard for a middle reliever to stand out from the crowd, Affeldt has definitely left his mark on the Giants organization.
Affeldt has done just about everything you can do in this game.
With Affeldt’s announcement, let’s highlight the notable portions of his career.
From Game 3 of the 2010 World Series through Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, he did not allow a run.
He threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings that night before Madison Bumgarner took the Giants to the end, extending a streak surpassed only by Mariano Rivera. My October stats, I know what they are. “I never thought that would be possible”. I gave it everything I had out there, and I played the game the right way-not necessarily in compliance with a few antiquated and silly “code”, but cleanly, and with honor and dedication to my craft. While I can’t say for sure how guys are still on something today, I do know that it’s a lot less than the roughly 40% of players I believe were cheating 15 years ago. Not so much. Yet when you check the all-time postseason ERA rankings, quite inexplicably, there I am. I’m walking around, they have to tape me together just to be able to get me out there.
“Probably myself”, he said, smiling. Still, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also share what I won’t miss about life in the Bigs. “The badgering that we did back and forth, but also what he did on the mound”. He’s a victor, he’s a champion. He leaves behind a legacy that includes three World Series rings, a sparkling individual postseason resume and a litany of hilariously weird injuries. Posey was silent for three minutes. Finally he broke his silence.
“I’m like, son I don’t really understand the conflicting messages that you’re sending me”, Affeldt said. Another one, Matt Cain, attended Affeldt’s going-away press conference. Affeldt’s first words were typical Affeldt.
“But I’ll be honest with you”, he said, “I know what the (postseason) starts are”.
It’s that kind of humor that made Affeldt such a beloved teammate.
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Teammates have good-naturedly made him a punching bag for years and Affeldt dishes it out just as hard. 176 career batting average and “sculpted physique”.
