"I know. I learned my lesson" - Ex MLB player 'Kung Fu Panda' Pablo Sandoval opens up about his past regret over San Francisco Giants
Former MLB third baseman Pablo Sandoval, aka Kung Fu Panda, addresses his remorse for inking a contract with the Boston Red Sox instead of the San Francisco Giants in 2014.
Pablo made his MLB debut in 2008 with the San Francisco Giants and played with them until 2014. He earned three World Series championships and the Babe Ruth Award while playing for the Giants and was selected to the All-Star Game twice.
Despite building a prominent place on the Giants squad, Pablo chose to sign a contract with the Boston Red Sox in 2014. His form deteriorated massively. Sandoval could not deliver to his abilities while playing with the Boston Red Sox. In 2017, Sandoval was released by the Red Sox due to his subpar performance.
In a recent interview with Joseph Bien Kahn, a freelance writer with "GQ," Pablo said:
"I should have stayed. I know. I learned my lesson. But I’m happy I went through it, man, because I kept my eyes open and learned a lot of things."
Pablo added, “We make mistakes. We can make errors. And you know, it’s part of the game. But fans don’t realize that we are human beings. We got lifestyle. We have problems, too. We have off-the-field things. And they don’t understand that.”
Pablo Sandoval says he wishes he never signed with the Red Sox dlvr.it/SVGxwh #RedSox https://t.co/1M8hCZMuH9
"Pablo Sandoval says he wishes he never signed with the Red Sox." - WEEI
Sandoval later returned to the Giants, but he could never resurrect his career in San Francisco. He played for the Atlanta Braves from 2020 to 2021 after playing for the San Francisco Giants from 2017 to 2020. However, he was again unable to regain his prior form.
Now, Pablo Sandoval plays in the Mexican League
Sandoval was traded to the Cleveland Guardians (then Indians) on July 30, 2021, in exchange for Eddie Rosario, but he was immediately dismissed. When no MLB teams approached him with contracts, Pablo joined the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. Sandoval currently plays for the the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League.
Former big leaguer Pablo Sandoval TRUCKED this catcher in the Mexican League last night.
There's no Buster Posey rule in the Mexican League that protects catchers from collisions 😳
https://t.co/lqgHdpjwiW
"Former big leaguer Pablo Sandoval TRUCKED this catcher in the Mexican League last night. There's no Buster Posey rule in the Mexican League that protects catchers from collisions." - Baseball King
Despite repetitive failure post-2014 in MLB, Pablo didn't give up, and he continues to participate in his chosen profession.