Ex-Lobo Gonzalez hopes to create more baseball history in the big leagues

Jul. 27—Luis Gonzalez's career as a Major League Baseball player is just getting warmed up, but he's already established himself as an answer for some great trivia questions.

Try this one on for size.

g In 2022, who became the first Giants position player to pitch in consecutive games since 1906?

More Gonzalez trivia gems will follow shortly, but first a status update.

A former University of New Mexico baseball standout, Gonzalez is in Albuquerque last week on a rehab assignment for the San Francisco Giants. He has yet to play in the majors this season after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disc in March.

Gonzalez made his first appearance of the season Tuesday, playing outfield for the Sacramento River Cats, who are in town to face the host Isotopes in a six-game series. It was an odd experience for Gonzalez, who had not played in a game for more than nine months.

"I was actually nervous going to the plate for the first time in a while," he said in an interview Thursday. "I had never played (at Isotopes Park), but Albuquerque has a special place in my heart from my time at UNM, so starting my 2023 season here is pretty cool."

Now 27, Gonzalez had a stellar career at UNM, where he did double duty as a pitcher/center fielder from 2015-17. He was drafted as an outfielder by the Chicago White Sox and made his major league debut with the club in 2020.

Gonzalez would appear in just nine games for the White Sox over two seasons before being released in August of 2021. It turned out to be a blessing as the Giants claimed him two days later, and Gonzalez proved to be a good fit. He played 98 games for San Francisco in 2022 and produced his share of memorable moments.

More than one of them occurred in May, when Gonzalez was named National League Rookie of the Month. He also secured a lasting legacy in trivia lore as the answer to these stumpers:

g Who joined Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani as the only listed pitchers to hit a home run in 2022?

g Who made his MLB pitching debut in the same game as did star slugger Albert Pujols?

g Who was the first player to hit a home run off of Pujols?

Gonzalez smiled when asked about the Giants' May 15, 2022 game against St. Louis, which produced the odd but memorable moments.

"Man, that was so crazy," he said. "I had a poster of Albert Pujols on my wall as a kid. I was a big Pujols fan. Then I make my pitching debut a few minutes before he does, it felt surreal."

Gonzalez worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings that night in a blowout game, but he recalls his reaction on seeing Pujols coming in to pitch for the Cardinals.

"I was thinking, 'Please, get me to the plate,'" he said, "and when I got up I was totally thinking about taking him deep. I wasn't swinging for a single or anything. I knew that chance would never come again."

Gonzalez's three-run shot off Pujols was one of four homers he hit in 2022. He finished the season batting .254 with 17 doubles, 31 runs scored, 10 stolen bases and 36 RBIs.

He entered 2023 with high hopes but was sidelined by back problems soon after arriving for spring training. It was frustrating for Gonzalez, who was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico and had hoped to represent his native country in the World Baseball Classic.

"That was tough," he said, "but I've tried to stay positive. I know I have a lot of baseball ahead of me. Right now I'm just focused on working hard and getting back on track."

Gonzalez was not in Sacramento's lineup Thursday but expects to play again Friday. He went 0-for-6 with a pair of walks and a run scored in his first two games at Isotopes Park and is hoping to start getting his timing before the River Cats leave town.

"I remember watching games here when I was at UNM," he said. "I saw (then-Isotope) Joc Pederson hit two homers in a game once, and now he's my teammate, which is kind of weird."

Gonzalez has long-term aspirations, too, including putting his name under a few more trivia questions as a two-way player. Gonzalez pitched in five games last season — the most for a Giants position player since Charlie Hickman in 1901.

"It's kind of cool being involved in history like that," he said. "I'm hoping to do a little more of it for the Giants. I'd like to play for Mexico in the WBC in 2026, too. Maybe I'll even go down there later in my career and retire as two-way player, who knows? There's still a long way to go in my career."