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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

A Grip on Sports: Jeremy Affeldt made way as reliable middleman

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jeremy Affeldt retired with three World Series titles. (Associated Press)
A Grip On Sports

Friday: Jeremy Affeldt may not be the most physically talented baseball player to come out of Spokane, but he’s easily the most successful. That is, if you use team success as your metric.

Ryne Sandberg is a Hall of Famer, but his Cubs never got to the World Series. Kevin Stocker played in a World Series (with the Phillies) but didn’t win. If Affeldt had retired after pitching for the Royals and the Rockies, he would have equaled that accomplishment, appearing in the 2007 Series with Colorado. But his 14-year career didn’t end there. Oh, no. He’s been with the San Francisco Giants since 2009 and in that span they have won three World Series titles.

There is a correlation. How much of one? Well, the left-hander has a postseason ERA of 0.89, which is pretty darn good. And he’ll always be remembered for his win in the seventh game of last year’s Series against the team that drafted him, Kansas City. Affeldt was the story of the 2014 World Series. OK, I jest. Of course it was the exploits of Madison Bumgarner, who won two games and saved the final one. But Bumgarner wouldn’t have had a chance for his final heroics if not for Affeldt, who threw 2 1/3 shutout innings to bridge the gap between the starter and Mad Bum.

That’s what Affeldt did so well, bridge gaps. In baseball, that’s crucial these days, what with the oversized importance and reliance put on bullpens. In an era when middle relievers are crucial to a team’s success, Affeldt was one of the best. He’s one of the handful of Giants who had a hand in winning all three rings.

But that’s not his only attribute. He’s also adept at bridging gaps off the field. It is no surprise that Affeldt, who starred for Northwest Christian in the mid-1990s, is a Christian man who lives his faith. The most visible outgrowth of this is Generation Alive, a charitable organization Affeldt and his wife, Larisa, founded in the past few years. The organization is charged with, according to its website, “instilling into young people that their compassion, their generosity and their energy are paramount in identifying and alleviating needs in their communities.”

It may not be as exciting as pitching with a championship on the line, but, in the long run, it should be more far-reaching. It’s just another reason why, come Sunday when Affeldt retires from baseball, he will be feted as a team player and, most prominently, a winner.