On Friday, Henry Schulman of the Chronicle and Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area each published stories about Austin Slater’s new approach at the plate. After reaching base five times on Thursday night, Slater recounted something said to him by Barry Bonds. From Schulman’s story:
“I remember something Barry once told us,” Slater said. “Whether it’s true or not, I don’t know. But he said he never swung at a pitch he didn’t think he could hit out. Going in with that mentality you’re able to lay off a lot more pitches and be patient.