Edgar Renteria only played 72 games in 2010. He struggled with bicep and groin injuries and struggled to stay in the lineup.
Then only weeks before the regular season ended and the Giants on the verge of elimination, he revealed to his fellow teammates this could be it. Amy Nelson of ESPN with the story.
With tears in his eyes and the thought of retirement nearing, the soft-spoken Renteria stood in front of his teammates in the crammed cage.
"I've been playing this game a long time, and honestly," he said, "this could be my last year."
Renteria tried to say more, wanted to say how if they have the chance to put him in the playoffs, he knew the team was capable of more. He believed in them, and just wanted everyone to play hard. He got some of that out, but then was overcome by emotion. At the time, Renteria was weeping and was no longer able to speak.
One by one, teammates began to embrace him. Manny Burriss, a 25-year-old infielder with the team, looked around the cage.
Could it be a giant coincidence that the Giants crushed the Cubs that night and then went on to storm to the World Series? Who knows. Was it exceedingly random that Renteria crushed in two home runs and six RBIs after only hitting THREE the entire regular season? Perhaps.
But there's one thing that's clear. Renteria is now among the legends in terms of timely World Series hitting. Add in his hit to win Game 7 of the 1997 World Series for the Florida Marlins, and he now stands with Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gehrig as the only players to hit multiple game-winning hits in World Series history. Not a bad way for Renteria to go out. They don't write fairy tales quite like this.