Associated Press 1:02 AM ET5 Minute Read
Sergio Romo gets a standing ovation as he bids farewell to Giants
Giants fans cheer on Sergio Romo as he walks off the field for the final time of his MLB career.
SAN FRANCISCO — Sergio Romo retired as the San Francisco Giant he wanted, pitched one last time for the team he helped win three World Series championships, then called it a career Monday night.
In a moment more special than he could have imagined, the entertaining right-hander came up against three Oakland batters in the seventh inning at Oracle Park in both clubs’ exhibition final.
“Very fitting to find closure in what has literally been a textbook career for me,” he told reporters, pausing to catch his breath after the Athletics’ 12-6 win.
The Giants reached out a few weeks ago to see if Romo might consider pitching an inning – he looked down at his arm and asked if he could give him one last hooray. He had already started golf.
“I understand how special this opportunity was,” he said.
Bay Area baseball fans were also treated to one last listen of Romo’s longtime signature “El Mechon” walk-up tune, and he basked in cheers.
But before he unleashed his nasty slider, Romo got a dose of what he’ll be missing in the new, modern baseball world – he was immediately called out by the Plate umpire for two o’clock infractions, which resulted in a pair of automatic balls.
The first was that he was taking too long to finish his warm-up throws. The second was that it took him too long to throw his first pitch.
Romo faced one of his former teams and started with a 2-0 count. Romo went fast with his first batter. He threw a wild pitch and gave up two singles that scored a run before former teammate Hunter Pence walked out to make a pitching change.
Sergio Romo was removed from the game by former teammate Hunter Pence (above), tipped his cap and hugged Giants manager Gabe Kapler, then received a curtain call and fought back tears as he walked back into the dugout. AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn
Romo, 40, took it all in as he made his way to the dugout, tipping his cap and hugging Giants manager Gabe Kapler and others in a sensational goodbye.
Romo got a curtain and fought back tears as he walked back into the dugout.
Greeted with a thunderous ovation as he sauntered over to the bullpen to begin his warm-up shots, Romo received even more cheers as he got into the spring practice game. The A’s players watched and clapped from their dugout rail, and the Giants grinned as they witnessed the emotional departure from baseball.
Always popular with the home fans, Romo wore a special hat. During spring training, whenever a kid asked for an autograph, he would have them sign his cap.
“If this was the last hat I wore in the big leagues… I thought it would be nice not to go there alone,” he said.
Romo played 15 seasons for eight organizations, including the Athletics, and spent his first nine years with the Giants. The reliever shared a farewell note with San Francisco on Monday on The Players’ Tribune.
“Dear San Francisco, tonight I get to do something one last time – something that has been one of the greatest honors of my entire life: I get to put on a Giants jersey. And before I do that, I just wanted to write this letter and share some thoughts with you all. Thanks for reading,” he said.
Romo greeted fans and fist-bumping youth in Oakland on Sunday as he did his farewell laps. On his Instagram account, the ever-creative Romo posted a photo of himself holding a sign similar to what students see on their first day of school, but showing his last day in majors.
Romo grew up in Brawley, California about 125 miles east of San Diego and about 30 miles north of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. He was a 2013 All-Star for the Giants and posted a career record of 42-36 with a 3.21 ERA and 137 saves over 821 appearances in 722⅔ innings. Last year he played a total of 23 games for Seattle and Toronto.
He also played for the Dodgers, Tampa Bay, Miami and Minnesota. Romo was selected by San Francisco in the 28th round as a draft pick from Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado in 2005 and was a key member of manager Bruce Bochy’s standout bullpen shortly after his big league debut in 2008.
Romo helped the Giants win biennial titles in 2010, ’12 and ’14 — the 2010 team won the franchise’s first championship since 1954 and the first in San Francisco since moving west in 1958.
Romo excelled in those games with a 0.00 ERA and three saves in six World Series appearances.
And long after those October highlights, Romo landed on the same hill for the last time, ending on a March night.
“What an experience,” he said.