Travis Ishikawa played eight years in Major League Baseball, mostly with the San Francisco Giants. His walk-off home run in the 2014 National League Championship Series sent the Giants to the World Series. He is now a minor-league hitting coach in the Giants organization.
Let me tell you about a phone call.
Advertisement
It was right around the All-Star break in the 2010 season. I hadn’t started a single game for the San Francisco Giants the month before, but in July, I had started to play more consistently and better.
We were in Washington D.C. on a road trip, and I stepped into the tunnel outside the locker room to call my high school coach, Danny Graham.
“This is ridiculous,” I told Danny. “I’m just a pinch-hitter off the bench for the Giants and a defensive replacement.”
Because I’d had about a week’s worth of success, I felt like I was owed and entitled. I’m better than they think I am. They’re screwing me. I’m the victim.
It’s kind of embarrassing to talk about now, but it’s good for the story. In my head at that time, I just assumed I was going to have a 15-year career in San Francisco with the Giants. The immaturity. The entitlement.
In the playoffs that year, we played the Atlanta Braves in the Divisional Series.
Continue Reading on New York Times
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.