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Pablo Sandoval says he struggled in Boston because his heart was in S.F.

Pablo Sandoval ain’t Tony Bennett, but the current and past San Francisco Giants third baseman has a new explanation for his struggles with the Boston Red Sox the past three seasons. He left his heart in San Francisco.

No, really. That’s what he says.

Sandoval signed with the Boston Red Sox after the 2014 season, taking his three World Series rings across the country and collecting a new five-year, $95 million contract. After two and a half seasons that could be described only as terrible, the Red Sox released Sandoval last month. He quickly re-signed with the Giants on a minor-league deal. He’s currently hitting .240 with a homer in seven games since being called back up the big leagues.

Pablo Sandoval says his heart was in San Francisco all along. (Getty Images)
Pablo Sandoval says his heart was in San Francisco all along. (Getty Images)

In a new post on The Player’s Tribune, a ghostwriter pens what’s intended to be another I’m-sorry-San Francisco moment from Sandoval, considering the way he badmouthed the Giants as he left town. It won’t come off like that to anybody in Boston, though, because Sandoval basically says he should have stayed in San Francisco all along. His heart, the post says, was never really in Boston.

At the end of the day, I just never felt comfortable in Boston. It had nothing to do with the organization, or my teammates, or the fans, or the city. Everybody was great to me. I think it was just something that happens sometimes — you don’t feel comfortable somewhere, or you don’t fit in, even if you’re in a place you chose to be.

In Boston, I was lost. It just never felt like home. And then I got released, and it was the worst feeling. I knew it was coming, but when it actually happened, it felt worse than I had even imagined it would. I felt like my career was over — like everything I had worked for my whole life was just … you know … done. All the great memories. All the great times you have playing this game. And one day, it can all be gone like that.

I had the greatest times of my life in San Francisco. And when I chose to leave, I left the special group of guys that I had shared those times with. I left behind the chemistry I had built with my teammates. I left behind a dynasty.

And I think that’s another reason I struggled so much the last couple of years: Because every day I spent in Boston, my heart was still back in San Francisco.

You’d halfway expect Tony Bennett to pop-up right there on The Player’s Tribune page to really drive home the moment. Maybe if Derek Jeter hadn’t just bought the Miami Marlins.

Good for Pablo Sandoval, we guess, that he’s found a place that allows him to feel comfortable. His post talks about the struggles of adapting to life in the U.S. as a young prospect and finally becoming comfortable with the Giants. Those parts of Sandoval’s early story shouldn’t be downplayed. Getting plucked out of Venezuela and dropped into a new country with sky-high sports expectations — none of that is easy.

But Sandoval is also 31 now; 28 when he signed with Boston. Old enough, you’d think, to understand the gravity of signing a $95 million contract in one of America’s most passionate sports towns. Old enough, you’d think, to separate his heart from baseball-playing ability.

This latest admission from Sandoval might help Giants fan buy those Panda hats again, but it’s only going to make the people in Boston curse his name even more while they’re paying him $18 million each of the next two seasons.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!