Jason Giambi had been beating himself up over his woes in the batter’s box in recent games. On Wednesday night, the Indians slugger took out some frustration on a baseball, then bruised one of his teammates in celebration.
Giambi drilled a critical three-run home run in the sixth inning, supporting a strong effort from Justin Masterson and helping power the Indians to a 5-2 victory over the Reds at Progressive Field. As the veteran crossed home plate, he slammed forearms with Nick Swisher in a moment reminiscent of Oakland’s Bash Brothers in the ’90s.
“Greatest bash of my life,” Swisher said with a wide grin. “But you’ve got to come ready. That’s a big man right there.”
Giambi is a big man with broad shoulders, which he used to carry Cleveland to a win after the club’s five-game losing streak. The Indians signed the 42-year-old Giambi — a managerial candidate with the Rockies over the offseason — with the idea that he could provide a wealth of experience and wisdom in the clubhouse, plus some power off the bench.
Spend five minutes with Giambi and you will gain a week’s worth of baseball knowledge.
“Why do you think I put my locker next to his?” Swisher said.
At the plate, however, Giambi had been in a deep slump prior to his bat getting jolted back to life over his past two games. Even after his momentum-swinging blast and two-hit showing in Wednesday’s win, Giambi’s batting average only sat at .185 for Cleveland. That is one statistic Indians manager Terry Francona throws out the window when considering Giambi’s contributions this year.
“That’s not why he’s here,” Francona said. “And he’s smart enough to know that.”
Giambi’s teammates know it, too.
“It’s hard for anyone else to truly understand outside of this clubhouse,” Masterson said, “just how great we enjoy him. I mean, whether you’re a pitcher, position player, it doesn’t matter. His knowledge of the game is incredible. He does a great job of imparting it. The hard part is, as a player, he wants to continue to go out there and help the team.”
The Indians dropped a pair of games in Cincinnati earlier this week, but Giambi delivered a game-tying, pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning of Monday’s 4-2 loss at Great American Ball Park. That pulled the designated hitter out of an 0-for-24 slump that represented the third-longest drought of a career that spans nearly two decades.
To be helping on the field again has come as a relief for Giambi.
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