Tony Vitello and Drew Gilbert finally give SF Giants fans what they want with fake spar

From the moment that Tony Vitello was hired as the manager of the SF Giants, fans speculated about what it would be like to have him and Drew Gilbert in the same dugout. Some joked that they’d be so amped up they’d start fighting each other. Well, they weren’t that far off base.

On Saturday ahead of San Francisco’s matchup against the Washington Nationals, Vitello and Gilbert fake sparred with one another in the dugout.

Vitello and Gilbert finally team up for dugout antics

That’s basically exactly what one would have expected from those two. Gilbert in a pickle headband throwing punches at his manager. What a world. Those two have seemed like a match made in heaven ever since Vitello coached Gilbert at the University of Tennessee.

Energy is the operative word people think about with both of those guys and that’s a big part of why the Giants hired Vitello. When Gilbert was called up last season, it’s undeniable that he added a missing element to the team with his unique dugout celebrations and child-like energy and enthusiasm.

Even though his numbers weren’t that strong last season, he seemed to help the team play some of its best baseball with an infusion of that collegiate energy.

Gilbert did not make the team out of spring training. He dealt with a shoulder injury that forced him to miss some time and while he was out Jared Oliva was stealing bases like crazy and Jerar Encarnacion was hitting the snot out of the ball so they beat him out. For a spot on the team.

He got recalled recently after Oliva and Harrison Bader had to go on the IL and has already made an impact as he hit a home run on Friday and drove in a run on Saturday.

Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that Gilbert was called up just a few days ago and almost immediately the Giants won a choppy series finale against the Cincinnati Reds that included the benches clearing and multiple intentional HBPs. 

Gilbert wasn’t directly involved in any of that, put perhaps putting him and Vitello together just brings out the freaky and feisty energy in everyone in that dugout.

The Giants have looked much better their last few games so maybe pairing up Vitello and Gilbert is what they needed to do all along to get the energy and vibes headed in the right direction. 

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