As the new Giants manager, Tony Vitello knows exactly what type of bond he wants to bring to the clubhouse.
In his introduction as the franchise’s 40th manager on Thursday morning, Vitello referenced a historic sequence in the Giants’ 2014 World Series Game 7 win over the Kansas City Royals to paint a picture of what he hopes his team’s culture will be like ahead of the 2026 MLB season.
He was in attendance that evening at Kauffman Stadium after all.
“Create a bond here between everybody at the top to everybody all the way down to whatever you consider the bottom of the depth chart,” Vitello told reporters.
“And all have a bond strong enough that when Alex Gordon hits a triple, everyone is still on the same page and willing to get through that moment and come out victorious. I was at that game, by the way, behind home plate. It was rather intense, correct?
“Yeah, I’ll second that,” Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey responded.
Vitello was at Game 7 of the 2014 World Series and recalled how intense it was after Alex Gordon’s triple in the ninth.
Buster: “I’ll second that” 😂 pic.twitter.com/WiK2LIJy79
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) October 30, 2025
Vitello, who had yet to take the head coach position at Tennessee then, precisely recalls when then Royals left fielder Alex Gordon secured a triple in the bottom of the 9th inning.
With pitcher Madison Bumgarner on the bump and one out away from a world title, Gordon hit a fly ball to left-center field, only for it to be misplayed in the outfield by Gregor Blanco and Juan Pérez.
Gordon was held at third base, and the Giants, behind Bumgarner’s five scoreless relief innings, would end up taking home their third title in five years.
Vitello now looks back at the moment as an important baseball lesson – one he hopes can shape the new era of Giants baseball.
“It was intense. Just when you’re at a game like that when everything is on the line, and now I’ve been fortunate enough to be at several of those, it gives you a sense of how important every play is, every aspect of the game,” Vitello concluded.
“If you think about it in coach’s terms, it can stress you out. It probably accentuates the fact that you need to prepare for moments like that [and] envision moments like that. And a good way to do it is as a fan there witnessing it. But yeah, that was a special moment for the Giants, one that MadBum got my admiration forever for what he did in the entirety of that series.”
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