SF Giants’ Core Four bullpen inducted into Wall of Fame in World Series

From right to left, former San Francisco Giants pitchers Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez, Santiago Casilla and Jeremy Affeldt are inducted into the team’s Wall of Fame before a baseball game between the Giants and the Minnesota Twins, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

SAN FRANCISCO — The often anonymous foot soldiers of baseball’s pitching teams, the relievers, finally got some recognition Saturday at Oracle Park.

The “Core Four” of the Giants’ dynastic bullpen of the 2010s became the latest inductees to the team’s Wall of Fame when plaques on Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez and Sergio Romo were unveiled in a pregame ceremony before the Giants hosted the Minnesota Twins.

“It’s a very forward position in baseball, so you get blamed a lot,” said López, who now works as a sports reporter for the club. “What I learned from this is that it’s so rare at any time to be able to be with that band of brothers for that long.”

Behind them on the infield, a number of notables from the Giants’ World Series-winning clubs sat, and Ryan Vogelsong and Buster Posey gave speeches before CEO Larry Baer turned attention to the video board unveiling the commemorative plaques for the 57th, 58th, 59th and 60th floors on King Street.

“The word that kept coming to mind was durability,” Posey said, listing the games and innings each reliever pitched. “You can’t stress enough how important it is for a pitching staff to have the luxury of being able to put those four guys in the game at any time.”

In the sport’s most cyclical role, it was her perseverance and three World Series wins that endeared her to Giants fans.

Romo’s 515 games with the Giants are the third-most of any pitcher since the team moved to San Francisco; López is sixth with 446; Casilla and Affeldt aren’t far behind with 414 each. But it’s their 98 total postseason appearances from 2010 to 2014 that secure their place in team history.

In 78⅔ postseason innings, the popular bullpen quartet posted a combined ERA of 1.14, recorded eight saves and achieved a 7-1 record in decisions.

Introduced by Dave Flemming, the quartet took the usual route to the infield, through the bullpen gates, with AC/DC’s “Back in Black” blaring from the speakers. Romo, never one to shy away from making a statement, wore a T-shirt that read “Do I look illegal?” and World Series rings on two of his fingers.

It was Romo’s 89 mph fastball that caught Miguel Cabrera’s attention and secured them the 2014 championship title.

“It’s a bit like shaking someone off,” Posey said. “I still have nightmares sometimes when he shook himself off and decided to pass Miguel Cabrera at 75.”

The main culprit, however, was Casilla, who gave Posey some of the biggest laughs of the afternoon.

“When I think of Casilla, I think of me putting down the sign, getting shaken seven times and then agreeing to the first pitch I originally called,” Posey said, “which was a sinker.”

Baer described the talkative López as a “bullpen psychologist,” a phrase Romo later endorsed.

“I feel like I was a good sounding board not only for the players but for the coaches as well,” López said. “I think just being there for a lot of the guys worked. I think I gave observations and maybe some advice at certain points, but a lot of the time I just listened and tried to figure out what they meant.”

The room in the clubhouse that López and Affeldt had transformed into a philosopher’s corner is now inhabited by the Rogers twins, who, along with Camilo Doval and Randy Rodríguez, caught the ceremonial first pitches of all players inducted into the Wall of Fame.

Many of the Giants relief pitchers watched the ceremony from the dugout, including Tyler Rogers, who placed his arms over the dugout rail.

“I couldn’t pick two better guys to sit in that spot (in the clubhouse),” Lòpez said. “I love their personalities. I love their ability to communicate. And I love that whether you win, lose or tie, you get the same guy every time, both of them.”