How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a
one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San
Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the
players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the
postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general
manager. Part twenty-seven is about the interesting reliever Sergio Romo.
Sergio Romo was born in Brawley, California, on March 4, 1983. He attended Brawley Union High School, where he graduated from in 2001. Originally working as an infielder in high school, Romo transferred to pitching in college. He originally attended Orange Coast College, and then transferred to Arizona Western College. He then moved along to the University of North Alabama in 2004 and Colorado Mesa University in 2005. He was still flying under the radar for the most part, but was drafted in 2005 by the San Francisco Giants in the twenty-eighth round. Romo went to pitching in the Class A Short Season Northwest League for the rest of the season, appearing in fifteen games (fourteen starts) for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in Oregon. He owned a 2.75 earned run average as well as sixty-five strikeouts in sixty-eight and two-thirds innings pitched. In 2006, he was promoted to the Augusta Greenjackets of the Class A South Atlantic League, in Augusta, Georgia. Here, he continued to work as a starter before being converted into a reliever. This resulted in thirty-one appearances, ten of which were starts and ten more that ended the game, with his numbers reading a 2.53 earned run average, ninety-five strikeouts, and 103 and 1/3 innings pitched. In 2007, he again stepped up, moving to the Class A Advanced California League to work as a part-time closer for the San Jose Giants. With a 1.36 earned run average, Romo turned nine saves while striking out a whopping 106 in just sixty-six and one-third innings pitched. Romo continued to work his way up in the Giants organization, starting 2008 in primarily a closer role for the Connecticut Defenders of Norwich, Connecticut of the Class AA Eastern League. He turned eleven saves in twenty-seven innings, as well as thirty strikeouts, composing a 4.00 earned run average. Romo was brought up to the San Francisco Giants on June 24, 2008, and made his debut two days later. He was with the team until August 6th, but returned after being designated for assignment to the Fresno Grizzlies of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League and stayed with the team to close the year from August 16th onward. With the major league Giants, Romo had a 2.12 earned run average over thirty-four innings pitched, striking out thirty-three batters. Romo began the 2009 season on the disabled list, and after rehabilitation appearances in San Jose and Fresno, he was in San Francisco on May 30th. Romo was deployed in high-leverage and late-inning situations for most of the season. On July 7th, he turned his first major league save against the Florida Marlins. Overall, he had a 3.97 earned run average over thirty-four innings, striking out forty-one batters and accumulating ten holds. His role expanded in 2010, and Romo became noticed as one of the premier setup relievers in the major leagues during the season. For the year, he had a 2.18 earned run average and seventy strikeouts in sixty-two innings pitched. He also pitched to twenty-one holds during the year, and was an easy choice for the postseason roster. In his first trip to the postseason, Romo didn't fare extremely well, blowing two saves (although neither resulted in a Giants loss). He wasn't a complete detriment either though, improving after getting past the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series. In the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, and against the Texas Rangers in the World Series, Romo appeared four times without giving up a run. The rest of the team was good enough to help Romo earn his first World Series title when things were all said and done. Romo's biggest feat in 2011 was throwing ten consecutive perfect innings during a span of fourteen games, only the fifth reliever in history to do so. At the end of the year, Romo had a 1.50 earned run average, seventy strikeouts, twenty-three holds, and just forty-eight innings of work. Alas, it wasn't enough to bring the Giants back to the postseason. Romo's role increased again in 2012 after Brian Wilson's season-ending Tommy John surgery. He was a critical part of the closer committee, working both in a setup role to the tune of twenty-three holds, and as a closer later on, where he turned fourteen saves, with just one blown save all year. Evidence of his talents are on display in his 1.79 earned run average, as well as his sixty-three strikeouts in fifty-five and one-third innings. Romo was the designated closer during the postseason, and he appeared in ten games overall during the playoffs. His only run allowed during the playoffs came against the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Division Series, while he was turning his first save in Game 5. He also earned the win in Game 3 of that series. He made four appearances against the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series, protecting the lead in non-save situations in all of the games. He was only used in games the Giants won in that series. The star-making moment came in the national spotlight though, as he saved Games 2, 3, and 4 in the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. He pitched three innings in the World Series, playing perfect baseball with five strikeouts, including the final strikeout of the season against Miguel Cabrera in Game 4, which he then emphatically celebrated before being mobbed by his teammates on the mound. Looking to the future, Romo will be a valuable piece of the Giants bullpen no matter which role he is used in.
Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.
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