Astros’ Mauricio Dubón was pumped up to play against his former team, the Giants, on Monday night. He was even more pumped up to beat them.
Houston Astros’ Mauricio Dubón remembers his time on his former team, the San Francisco Giants, alright. He remembers it with a vengeance.
Dubón was traded to the Astros last May after a disappointing three years in San Francisco, and on Monday he showed his old teammates and coaches what they were missing.
In Houston’s 7-3 victory, Dubón got three crucial hits against the Giants: he scored the Astros’ first run, hit an RBI single in the fifth inning, and then gave his team the lead with an RBI double late in the game.
If anyone couldn’t tell that Dubón had a massive chip on his shoulder, they could tell in the post-game interview when the outfielder ripped into the Giants franchise.
He told reporters that he “was not treated the right way” in SF, insinuating that he didn’t get enough playing time back then.
Astros’ Mauricio Dubón gets sweet revenge on his former team
Since arriving in Houston in 2022, Dubón can let his awards do the talking as he and the Astros embarked on a World Series-winning run last season.
Dubón primarily played outfield that year but filled in as second baseman when Jose Altuve got injured, and if you ask him, the difference between playing on the Giants and on the Astros is probably night and day.
He’s quickly earned Dusty Baker’s trust, spoke glowingly of the Astros’ roster and overall camaraderie, and seems excited as ever to turn over a new leaf following his ups-and-downs with the Giants.
Compared to Dubón’s seething and venomous takes on his old team, San Francisco general manager Gabe Kapler took the high road and had only nice things to say about Mauricio after Monday’s game:
“Obviously Mauricio is a great athlete and has always been a good contact hitter. He found a way to put some balls in play with authority and had himself a nice game and hurt us.”
It’s not all water under the bridge, as Dubón did tell reporters he has kept in touch with a few friends on the Giants, namely Logan Webb and Brandon Crawford.
When the two teams butt heads yet again in the second game of the series on Tuesday night, Dubón likely won’t be changing his mindset. He still wants to beat the Giants every time. Badly.