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Mike Leake Memories

Albert Pujols’ 3,000th hit is worth talking about for so many reasons, including this one weird Giants connection.

By Bryan Murphy
Los Angeles Dodgers v San Francisco Giants Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Congratulations to Albert Pujols for hitting the baseball for the 3,000th time. He becomes just the fourth player in the entire history of Major League Baseball to record 3,000 hits and 600 home runs. Mays, Aaron, and... Alex Rodriguez are the others. Here’s video of tonight’s history:

Whoa, whoa, whoooooooa. Magnify...

AND ENHANCE!

The pitcher! That’s... that’s...

Congratulations to Mike Leake for having his first big moment since the complete game shutout he pitched in his final game as a Giant. That was September 30, 2015. It was a start against the Dodgers. He allowed a couple of hits, walked three and struck out only one in the only game as a Giant where he threw over 100 pitches.

I think the only way to describe his brief 9-start tenure with the team is by suggesting that you drink half a glass of room temperature water. That’s what Mike Leake’s Giant career feels like.

After the trade, Grant wondered if Leake would be hanging around after 2015:

That rotation up there of Bumgarner/Heston/Cain/Peavy isn’t terribly fearsome. It’s what the Giants have now, and it’s okay, with a little bit of upside, but not much. Leake would continue the pretty-okay theme.

This is the offseason of the super-starter, though. Price, Cueto, and Zack Greinke are all free agents. Jordan Zimmermann is available and outstanding; Doug Fister is available at a discount. Look at all these fabulous prizes!

And the Giants could end up with Mike Leake. Which is fine. But, yeah. He’s the player you get when the Cole Hamels deal falls through, always and forever. In a rotation situation with two or three open spots, he’s ideal. In a rotation situation where you have one ding-danged shot at making an impact, it’s a little trickier to get behind.

It’s to the Giants’ credit that they stopped to consider what Leake had given them following the trade and arrived at the conclusion, “Nah, we’re good.” I mention all this because a rather unremarkable Giant just became part of a remarkable moment. What is your lasting memory of Mike Leake?

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