Your inbox approves Men's coaches poll Women's coaches poll Play to win 25K!
GIANTS
San Francisco Giants

Giants' Michael Morse gets back in the swing of things at World Series

John Perrotto
Special for USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco Giants outfielder/first baseman Michael Morse will get regular at-bats in the World Series.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Michael Morse refused to let his emotions get the best of him during what could have been a frustrating September.

The San Francisco Giants outfielder/first baseman was limited to only one game in the final month of the regular season because of a strained oblique muscle. Thus, Morse could only be a spectator as his team battled to get into the postseason as the second National League wild card team.

Morse also remained sidelined for the Giants' victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the wild card game and their win over the Washington Nationals in four games in the division series.

"The goal all along was to be ready for the LCS," Morse said. "I knew I would have a chance to play this season because we were going to win and get to the LCS."

The Giants did indeed win and Morse got a chance to play in their five-game series win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series.

Morse will be in the lineup as the designated hitter Tuesday night as the Giants open play in the World Series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

While Morse is healthy enough to play in the field, Giants manager Bruce Bochy has decided to play Travis Ishikawa in left field, even though he is a first baseman by trade.

Morse, though, has never been noted for his defense despite being drafted by the Chicago White Sox as a shortstop out of high school in MIami in 2000. He understands his job is to hit.

"We're happy to get his bat in the lineup," Bochy said.

Morse showed he was healthy in the Giants' series-clinching Game 5 win over the Cardinals in San Francisco. His pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning tied the score at 3-3, and Ishikawa won it with a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.

In the regular season, Morse hit .279 with 16 homers in 131 games. He was 2-for-4 in the NLCS, all as a pinch hitter.

"That home run meant a lot to me in a couple of different ways," Morse said. "It was a great to be put in position to hit a big home run for the team, but it also gave me a peace of mind that I could still hit for power coming off the injury."

This is the first World Series of Morse's 10-year career, which began with the Seattle Mariners in 2005 and also included stops with the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles before he signed with the Giants last December on a one-year, $6 million deal.

Morse didn't have a lot of offers following an injury-plagued 2013-14 season in which he hit a combined .215 with 13 home runs in 88 games with the Nationals and Orioles. However, the Giants got his attention when they showed interest.

"You know playing here that you're going to have a chance to go the World Series," Morse said. "It's such a great organization. I got a good feeling from the first day of spring training when I met everyone.

"I just felt like I fit in here. It's the best team I've played on, both and off the field. These guys are so close-knit. It's such a great group of guys. To be able to go the World Series with them has made the experience that much greater."

Featured Weekly Ad