At 5-foot-10, Dominic Leone doesn’t exactly have the most intimidating physical appearance on the mound.
But whatever the Giants reliever lacks in size, he makes up for with his roar.
In an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Anthony Garcia and Therese Viñal on the latest "Summer Sunday,” Leone talked about showing emotion on the mound and his support of players letting their feelings loose.
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SIGN UP HERE “My actions speak louder than what I’m about to say,” Leone said. “I like to have a lot of emotion. It’s fun. It’s fun playing a game.”
Leone’s biggest moment this season was arguably his strikeout of Chris Taylor to escape an eighth-inning jam against the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this month at Oracle Park, helping the Giants complete a three-game sweep of their division rivals.
Afterwards, Leone let out not one, but two roars as he walked off the mound.
“I got out of a tight spot,” Leone said. “Big series. Big momentum swing for us. I pretty much blacked out. I don’t remember what happened. It was one of those moments where you can feel the energy within the crowd and stadium. One roar wasn’t good enough. I had to give them two.”
Leone, who has pitched for six teams, said that Giants fans are the best fanbase that he’s played in front of.
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“Even after my double roar, you could still hear the crowd roaring back at me,” Leone said. “They do a great job. These guys, they’re so passionate about their team and we just love playing here.”
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The 30-year-old has found a home in San Francisco. He was one of the Giants’ best relievers last season, with a 1.51 ERA in 57 appearances. He entered Sunday with a 2.36 ERA in 28 games this year.
Leone has proven to be a valuable piece of the Giants’ bullpen and it appears that he has also endeared himself to the fans.
