SF Giants welcome back 3-time World Series champion on ceremonial contract

The SF Giants received some exciting news on Thursday. According to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, Sergio Romo is set to sign a minor league contract. He will appear in an exhibition game before hanging up his spikes.

SF Giants welcome back 3-time World Series champion on ceremonial contract

Romo's career accomplishments are well-known at this point. That said, his career is one of total improbability. The Giants selected the right-handed reliever in the 28th round of the 2005 draft out of Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Never once did Romo's fastball average over 90 MPH in 15 seasons, but of course, he had a totally unhittable slider. Plus, being able to pitch in the majors as a primarily non-closing reliever is just a remarkable run.

His trademark slider caused problems for opposing hitters. In only five seasons, did opposing hitters post a batting average above .200 against it and this only happened once in his first nine years. Everyone knew it was coming, but it evaded bats in an almost inexplicable way.

Of course, when everyone on the planet was expecting him to float in another devastating slider in the world's biggest stage, he tricked all of us against one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball history:

Miguel Cabrera was sitting on a slider and Romo snuck an 89 MPH fastball passed him to help San Francisco clinch its second championship in three years. The 40-year-old spent his first nine years in a Giants uniform, cementing himself as one of the best relievers in franchise history.

He posted a 2.58 ERA with three World Series titles, one All-Star appearance, and 84 saves during that time. Of course, his tenure was marked in part by his contributions as part of the Core Four consisting of himself, Jeremy Affeldt, Javier López, and Santiago Casilla.

The Giants were able to shorten games, especially in the playoffs, due in part to the roles that each of these relievers filled. Romo, in particular, was fantastic during the playoffs as he yielded just five earned runs in 21.1 frames during the three championship runs.

Romo returns to the organization that drafted him all those years ago. He debuted with the club in 2008 where he tallied a 2.12 ERA in 29 appearances as a rookie. It was immediately evident that he brought something special and unique to the mound. Now, the bookends of his career will be in a Giants uniform and that feels right for a person who has meant so much to the organization.