Nearly a year after moving from the Giants to the Astros, Dubón proved to be a huge thorn in his former club’s side, going 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs to help Houston lead to a 7-3 Victory to lead the series opener on Monday night at Minute Maid Park.
Playing Dubón, who hit the leadoff and started at second base in place of the injured Jose Altuve, stole second place and hit on José Abreu’s RBI single to put the Astros on the board in the first inning and then delivered one game-defining single against Ross Stripling in the fifth.
He capped his night with a go-ahead double against Sean Hjelle in the seventh and started a five-run inning that sealed the Giants’ fourth straight loss (11-17).
“To be honest, it felt really good,” said Dubón. “What I like about the whole thing is watching the guys behind me. You know what it meant to me to beat those guys and they had my back.
“I wasn’t treated properly there. Coming here and being a family here and being able to perform like I’m doing right now, that’s the human side of me that comes out.”
A Honduran native, Dubón came to the United States as an exchange student and attended Capital Christian High School in Sacramento, where he became a huge Giants fan. He fulfilled a childhood dream by eventually ending up with his favorite team, who bought him at Trade Deadline 2019 in exchange for Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black from the Brewers.
The versatile Dubón endeared himself to the Giants fanbase with his infectious smile and energy, and proved a valuable contributor due to his ability to switch between center infield and midfield. Still, after a difficult 2021 campaign, he fell behind Thairo Estrada on the depth chart and entered last year with no options.
Facing a looming roster squeeze last May, the Giants opted to stay with Estrada and trade Dubón to the Astros in exchange for catcher Michael Papierski, who appeared in just five games for San Francisco before being eligible for the call was determined.
The trade still functioned largely well for both sides. Estrada established himself as a regular for the Giants in 2022 and is sixth in the majors that year with a .333 batting average in 27 games. Dubón, meanwhile, won a World Series ring with the Astros last season and has flourished this year, coming on for Altuve and setting a franchise record with a 20-game winning streak in April.
“I think everyone in that situation wants to do it really well,” said Joc Pederson, who fired a two-barrel shot in the third. “I know he’s playing great and I’m really happy for him. I enjoy him as a friend. It sucks that it was against us.
“But he’s really developing into an everyday player. It’s cool to see. Obviously he didn’t get as many chances here so I’m sure he’s built up some frustration and he’s turning into fuel I guess you could say. I guess you have to tip his cap. He practically beat us single-handedly today.”
Dubón’s performance added to the aftermath of a challenging two-game streak in Mexico City over the weekend for the Giants, who arrived in Houston. Pederson described the international trip as “undoubtedly” the most difficult he has undertaken in his 10-year majors career, citing the long flight, time change, extreme altitude and heavy traffic that made it difficult for players to to recover .
The physical toll was undeniable for the Giants, who placed midfielder Mike Yastrzemski (left Achilles tendon strain) and shortstop Brandon Crawford (right calf strain) on Monday’s 10-day injury list. Crawford was diagnosed with a Grade 1 plus strain after pinching his calf in Saturday’s opener of the Mexico City Series, but expressed confidence he could return in at least 10 days.
The Giants feared the worst after watching Yastrzemski hobble off the field after a jump catch on Sunday, but they felt relieved after an MRI showed only a Grade 1 hamstring strain. San Francisco has recalled Triple-A Sacramento’s Brett Wisely and Cal Stevenson on two corresponding moves, but the loss of Crawford and Yastrzemski will significantly weaken the club down the middle in the coming weeks.
Given their injuries, the Giants could use a player like Dubón badly. The 28-year-old super utility man sees things differently.
“Thank God they don’t,” Dubón said. “I’m fine here. This is my family and I enjoy every moment of it.”