ANAHEIM — Kevin Pillar’s wife and children and his parents were at Angel Stadium this weekend.
Just in case.
The 35-year-old Angels outfielder has consistently said he is leaning toward retiring after the season, but he hasn’t completely closed the door on playing again.
Before Sunday afternoon’s final game of the season, he said he plans to approach the game as if it were his last, even if it isn’t.
“Do I still believe that I can play this game? Even at 35 years old, do I believe that I can go into the offseason and become a better version of myself? Absolutely,” Pillar said. “But I think I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t at least understand that this could be the last time and enjoy this moment.”
Pillar, who celebrated his 10th year in the majors this season, was released by the Chicago White Sox in April, but an injury to Mike Trout opened the door for him to sign with the Angels.
For a while, he enjoyed a career resurgence. He was one of the Angels’ most productive players and quickly became popular among his teammates and fans.
But in the second half of the season, he slumped. Pillar finished the season with a .229 batting average and .668 OPS.
When he’s thinking about whether he wants to come back next season, he always hears from his wife and kids.
“It changes all the time,” he said. “When my wife is having a tough day at home alone with the kids, it’s clear that I’m really looking forward to the day when I can stay home and co-parent them full-time. Sometimes when I go on a trip for 4-8 days, my kids miss me and start crying wanting to go home.
“And when I go to the field, like the last few days, I’m so excited for the kids to come watch me play or go to the family room and enjoy all the perks of playing. There are days.”
Pillar said he rode home from the ballpark with his father Saturday night and talked about his entire journey, from Chaminade High School in West Hills to Cal State Dominguez Hills and the 13 years he spent as a professional with nine different organizations.
“I don’t know if this is the end,” Pillar said. No. Did I accomplish more than I thought I would accomplish? Absolutely. “
campero moment
Gustavo Campero couldn’t get enough of his first major league home run Saturday night. That’s because he made a key defensive error late in the night that led to a run that cost the Angels the game.
However, the next day, he still felt some satisfaction with his three-run home run.
“It feels great,” said Campero, who spent seven years in the minors before making his major league debut earlier this month. “It’s an amazing feeling in that moment.”
Campero, 27, was a catcher for most of his minor league career, but moved to the outfield this season. He said he plans to work on playing different infield positions this winter to increase his versatility.
Precautions
Eight players on the active roster (or father list) who survived the entire season were catchers Logan Ohoppe and Matt Theis, first baseman Nolan Chanuel, shortstop Zach Neto, and pitchers Tyler Anderson and Griffin Canning. It was just the players. …
Ohoppe, who did not start Sunday, finished the season strong with a .244 batting average and .712 OPS in 11 of 23 games. He has a batting average of .103 and an OPS of .355 over the past 34 games. “Part of what I was thinking about during that difficult month and a half was that it might still be there,” Ohoppe said. “When you step into the box, it’s like, ‘Hey, hey, I don’t feel the same or do the same things I used to.’ I’m going to work for a long career from now on, but I’m in the moment And that’s hard to see. So I’m happy to see (a good finish) because I feel like I’m back to myself and doing what I’ve done in the past.”
The Angels had an attendance of 2,577,597, ranking 13th in the majors. Attendance was down just 62,978 from last season.
First published: September 29, 2024 at 11:55am
