SAN FRANCISCO -- Pablo Sandoval burned his share of bridges when he left the Giants for the Red Sox in 2014, but his conversation with his manager that offseason carried a different kind of emotion. Sandoval still remembers how hard it was to tell Bochy he was leaving. He told Bochy he would miss him. Bochy responded by telling Sandoval he wished he was returning.
"He said, 'Enjoy your moment. This is the time you've been waiting for,'" Sandoval recalled recently.
Three years later, Bochy was there waiting when Sandoval decided to come back.
Sandoval's career with the Giants will go down as one of the more interesting in franchise history, full of highs (All-Star appearances, World Series titles, a performance that dropped Justin Verlander's jaw) and lows (getting benched, repeatedly dealing with weight issues, down times on the field and that exit to Boston), but through it all, he has had his manager in his corner.