Some wins are just more special than others. Every game counts, every win matters, but the Athletics' 6-2 victory over the Giants on Sunday at Oracle Park meant a little more for catcher Aramis Garcia.
"You know, I have a lot of respect for those guys over there and what they're doing this year," Garcia said to reporters after the win. "It was really nice seeing a lot of old friends and competing against them today. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want this one.
"It was definitely good to play well."
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Garcia went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and one run scored in his first game against his former team. He drove in the third run of the game for the A's with a line-drive single to right field in the top of the sixth inning, and their final run on a single to left in the seventh.
The 28-year-old catcher was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He faced a handful of concussion issues in the minor and major leagues with San Francisco, and missed last season after undergoing hip surgery in February. Garcia made his MLB debut for the Giants on Aug. 31, 2018 and played 37 games over two years with them.
He hit .229 and had six home runs as a Giant. Garcia was selected off waivers by the Texas Rangers from the Giants last November, and then was part of the trade that brought shortstop Elvin Andrus to Oakland this past February. Garcia now is batting .233 with six RBI in 27 games for the A's.
Collecting his third multi-hit game of the year on Sunday, it was behind the plate where Garcia really stood out in the A's win. Cole Irvin dazzled on the mound, and gave all credit to his catcher.
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"I told him in our bullpen before the game, 'You know these guys, this is your old club, I trust you.' We kind of went about that and there wasn't many shakes," Irvin said. "As the game went on, there were a few more shakes.
"Early on, that was all AG."
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Respect and love for the first team that gave him an opportunity will always be there for Garcia. Producing in the batter's box and in the squat to beat the Giants leaves a sweet taste in his mouth before the A's enjoy a day off on Monday.