SAN FRANCISCO -- Mauricio Dubon attended his first Giants game as a teenager in 2010, sitting in the center field bleachers as Tim Lincecum pitched the Giants closer to a division title. Four years later, he was one of 43,000 who watched Travis Ishikawa send the Giants to the World Series with a walk-off home run in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.
Dubon grew up watching Brandon Crawford videos and idolizing Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner. He has been waiting years for the opportunity to call Oracle Park his home.
But when the call to be a San Francisco Giant finally came Tuesday around noon, Dubon took one look at his phone and decided not to answer.
Dubon, like just about everyone else, has been inundated with scam phone calls in recent years. He looked down and saw River Cats manager Dave Brundage's Oregon area code and figured it was another telemarketer. Brundage was persistent, though, and Dubon soon found out he was headed for Oracle Park.
"It's a dream come true," he said.
Dubon spent part of his afternoon Tuesday getting introduced to players he long has watched. Pablo Sandoval interrupted an interview to give the rookie infielder a big hug. He met Crawford and spent some time chatting with Posey.
"It was crazy," Dubon said, his eyes growing wider. "I saw him growing up. I watched him play catcher and now I'm sharing a clubhouse with him. It's special."
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The road here was harder than most. Dubon left his family behind in Honduras as a 15-year-old, moving to Sacramento to live with a host family and chase his dreams of playing baseball. Dubon played at Capital Christian High and was drafted in the 26th round of the 2013 draft.
He spent four seasons in the Red Sox system before getting traded to the Brewers. After two-plus seasons there, Dubon briefly made his debut earlier this season, playing in two games and becoming the second player born in Honduras to reach the big leagues.
The Giants acquired Dubon as the centerpiece of a deal that sent Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black to Milwaukee. As July 31 approached, Dubon and his host family back in Sacramento regularly chatted about trade rumors. The news finally came that he had been traded to the Giants. He called his host mom with a message.
"Get my room ready, cause I'm going home," Dubon said.
Dubon needed just 25 games back in Sacramento to earn a trip to the big leagues. The Giants love his athleticism, energy and they're eager to get a long look at Dubon over the next five weeks. They have no long-term solution at second base and it's been years since Brandon Crawford had consistent help at shortstop. When Bruce Bochy was asked about his new second baseman, he quickly answered that Dubon plays shortstop, too. You can bet that will be a big part of the September conversation.
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Dubon's dream is coming true, and he's being placed in a perfect situation. He was all smiles Tuesday as he talked of the opportunity, bouncing from one foot to the other. There was just one part of the day that seemed to be any sort of a downer.
Dubon and his host mom had been waiting for their breakfast when Brundage called and told him to get to Oracle Park. A breakfast burrito had Dubon's name on it, but some things are more important than even a burrito.
"We had to cancel the order," he said.
