Marlins closer Romo’s latest save had a little more emotion behind it, considering the opponent
Sergio Romo trotted to the mound in the ninth inning Wednesday night in familiar territory against a familiar opponent.
The mission was the same: Get three outs, record another save and close the door on another Miami Marlins win, a task he accomplished for the 11th time this season despite running into some trouble early.
This time, though, the moment had a little more meaning considering the opponent and the timing.
The team in the opposing dugout during this 4-2 win: the San Francisco Giants, the team that drafted Romo in 2005, the team he spent his first nine major-league seasons with, the team he helped win three World Series this decade.
Leading the team in that dugout: soon-to-be Hall of Fame manager Bruce Bochy, Romo’s first MLB manager who is wrapping up his career that spanned the course of five decades as a player, coach and manager.
And while, in the moment, Romo executed his job and helped the Marlins get their ninth win in the past 12 games, playing against his former teammates and the manager who gave him his first opportunity brought back old memories.
“I feel I can count the amount of people that have taken a chance on me in my life on two hands,” Romo said. “He’s on that.
“He’s one of those fingers.”
Romo isn’t a prototypical relief pitcher. He’s a 5-11, 185-pound righty who utilizes a pair of sliders and a changeup that max out in the high 70s. His fastball is lucky to break 86 mph.
But his free-spirited and energetic persona, dogged determination and unwavering confidence made up for what he lacked physically.
And it makes the fact that he has stayed in the majors for 12 years all the more remarkable.
Romo held just about every bullpen role imaginable for the Giants during his nine seasons with the club, ultimately finishing with his time there with a 2.56 ERA and 84 saves over 515 career games. He earned three saves in the 2012 World Series, including the 4-3, 10-inning Game 4 victory to seal the second of three championships in a five-year span.
“He’s a guy who showed over and over that he had my back,” Romo said. “He gave me an opportunity to be somebody. Never lacked faith in me. Put me in some tough spots, but I have to believe that he believed I could get the job done in those spots. I’m thankful for that. I want to give him congratulations too. He’s a Hall of Famer, in my book.”
Romo showed his gratitude to Bochy and the Giants before the three-game series began Tuesday. He stopped by the Giants’ clubhouse for about 45 minutes to reminisce with his former teammates and talked with his former skipper for about 10 minutes while the Marlins took batting practice on the field.
“I’m happy he’s still doing well,” Bochy said. “I’ll never forget what he did for us in the bullpen and the good times we’ve had.”
Romo added: “The best part of the conversation, I feel, was him hugging me. I thanked him for letting me be part of his legacy. Just to be part of his story.”
Romo, meanwhile, is still continuing his legacy and his story as one of the veteran leaders on a young Marlins roster.
He has been the rock of the Marlins’ bullpen, converting 11 of 12 save opportunities this year to bring his career total to 120 — 19th among active MLB players. He has held opponents to just six earned runs in his past 20 appearances after giving up four in his season debut.
Wednesday was just the latest of Romo’s continued success in his 12th MLB season. He came into the game nursing a three-run lead.
First up: Catcher Buster Posey, who caught Romo for eight years and knows just about every pitch sequence Romo has at his disposal. Posey hit a slider into left field for a leadoff double. Pablo Sandoval followed up with a first-pitch single to put runners on the corners. A Brandon Belt RBI groundout scored Posey and cut the Giants’ deficit to two.
Romo took over from there, striking out Brandon Pilar with a 77 mph slider, unintentionally intentionally walking Brandon Crawford on five pitches and striking out Steven Duggar with a 75.7 mph slider to seal the win.
“He doesn’t give in,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “... Serge is going to keep pitching. He’s going to go after the guy he wants.”
Romo, in his whimsical way, offered a more concise evaluation.
“I’m still tricking ‘em,” Romo said.
Something that hasn’t changed from when his career started with the Giants.
“It does bring back memories,” Romo said. “Good memories. Blessings that I call my experiences. Those guys played a huge part of it.”
This story was originally published May 30, 2019 at 11:32 AM.
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