SAN FRANCISCO -- The regional nature of Major League Baseball can lead to certain players pretty quickly gaining a reputation for crushing a specific franchise.
For Giants fans, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado held that crown for years, with Max Muncy picking up the mantle in recent seasons. Barry Bonds had historic ownage of the San Diego Padres, hitting 87 homers off of them, and he was followed as face of the franchise by Buster Posey, who picked on the Colorado Rockies to the tune of 29 homers and an OPS of nearly 1.000.
There are similar trends in every division and rivalry, and Michael Conforto signed in San Francisco with a reputation that most Giants fans probably had no idea about simply because it was built on the East Coast.
Conforto, the longtime New York Met, entered Monday's game with 22 homers in 95 games against the Philadelphia Phillies, and he didn't wait around long to add on.
Conforto's three-run homer to left sparked a six-run second inning, one of the most impressive of the year for the lineup, and the Giants went on to win 6-3 in their first meeting of the year with the reigning NL champs. The blast was Conforto's fourth in the last six games and was an unusual one for a left-handed hitter.
Conforto stayed on an elevated sinker from lefty Bailey Falter and tucked it just inside the left field pole. It was his first opposite-field shot among eight homers this season.
"That's huge, especially if I'm taking a fastball down the line," he said. "It puts me in a good spot for off-speed stuff. I felt like I was seeing the ball well tonight."
Conforto has twice hit homers to that exact spot in the big leagues before, including another one against the Phillies. His 24th homer in an All-Star 2017 season sliced to left and hit the foul pole at Citizens Bank Park.
Conforto's 23rd career blast against the Phillies gave him 72 RBI against them in 96 career matchups. Since his debut in 2015, Conforto trails only former Atlanta Braves superstar Freddie Freeman in homers and RBI against the Phillies.
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"Usually it's being at that ballpark (in Philadelphia). I tend to see the ball well at that ballpark," he said of the success. "But, I think today was just a good swing and being ready for a fastball first pitch and not missing it or fouling it back. It was staying inside and driving the ball. That's what I've been working on, trying to get to that spot. It feels really good to execute."
It sometimes seems that just a glimpse of a certain jersey can get a player going, as was the case for Muncy when he visited Oracle Park last month. But Conforto was finding his way before the Phillies arrived.
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His OPS dropped to .597 on the last homestand, but he hit a homer on Wednesday and then went deep twice during a four-game series in Arizona. Before Monday's game, manager Gabe Kapler said he felt Conforto's good swings were matching up to good swing decisions, leading to increased production.
The Giants followed his lead Monday, scoring six runs on six hits in the second inning after a bad error by Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott. Five of the runs were scored with two outs.
"We had a great approach," Conforto said. "It was funky prep for the game with the opener and the lefty, but the hitting coaches had us ready."