SAN DIEGO - As Joe Panik walked into the clubhouse after Monday night's win at Petco Park, Will Smith held up his phone. Smith had been looking at a photo someone had tweeted of the Padres scoreboard, with the fun fact: Panik "[had] two at-bats for Sacramento (AAA) today before flying to SD."
"Sick fun fact, Joe," Smith said. "What'd you go, 1-for-3 today?"
Panik was 1-for-3, in two different cities, in two different leagues, at two different levels of professional baseball. He got to Raley Field in Sacramento for his fourth rehab game Monday morning and was told that Kelby Tomlinson had been promoted. Panik flied out in the first inning and then singled in the third. After his second at-bat, a trainer frantically waved him over and told him he was on a 4:30 flight to San Diego.
Panik grabbed his bats and ran out of Raley Field shortly after 1 p.m. He drove to his home in the East Bay, grabbed his luggage, went to the airport in Oakland and hopped on a flight. Panik landed in San Diego at 6 p.m. Thanks to baggage claim and traffic, he made it to San Diego about 10 minutes before first pitch. He pinch-hit in the ninth, popping out at 9:55.
"I had no idea the day was going to be like that," Panik said.
It was a strange day, a long day, but in the end, Panik was around to celebrate a 5-3 win with his teammates.
Sports
-- Ray Black pitched a career-high 1 2/3 innings and didn't allow a baserunner (although Carlos Asuaje took him to the wall and nearly ended the game). Since giving up three runs in his debut, Black has pitched 8 1/3 hitless innings.
-- Derek Holland's last eight games as a starter: 2-2 with a 2.68 ERA. He's been quite the find by the front office.
-- The Giants do not anticipate trading Andrew McCutchen before Tuesday's 1 p.m. deadline, but there will be interest during the August waiver period, so it doesn't hurt that McCutchen had a big game. He had three hits and reached base four times.
