Giants teammates salute Pagan's approach to game

• Angel Pagan had a Giants record 15 triples this season
• Pagan's saluting also commemorates his late father, Angel Sr., an Army veteran
• Pagan became the second player to lead off two playoff games with home runs

SAN FRANCISCO -- The New York Yankees famously named Derek Jeter their captain in 2003. This year, the San Francisco Giants have gained one, although his designation is not official.

Giants players have taken to calling center fielder Angel Pagan "the captain," or "the general," for his habit of giving them a military salute when they cheer his deeds on the field.

That has been a frequent sight this year as Pagan has emerged as one of the Giants' key players on the road to a second World Series in three years.

The Puerto Rican-born leadoff hitter batted .288 with a San Francisco-record 15 triples and a team-high 95 runs in the regular season. He entered Thursday hitting .228 in the postseason, but his outstanding at-bats in Wednesday's Game 1 of the World Series — an 8-3 Giants win — helped send Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander to an early exit.

By working the count and staying alive in prolonged at-bats, Pagan forced Verlander to throw him 22 pitches, almost a quarter of his 98 over four innings. Pagan also ignited rallies in the third and seventh innings with doubles, turning to the dugout from second base and saluting.

"Every time I get on base my teammates cheer for me, so by doing that I'm thanking them," Pagan said. "And it's also a way to commemorate my dad (Angel Sr.), may he rest in peace. He spent a lot of years in the army, and he taught me how to be a respectful person. So that salute has a lot of meaning for me."

Pagan started doing it early this season, his seventh in the majors, after joining the Giants in an offseason trade for center fielder Andres Torres and reliever Ramon Ramirez.

"A lot of us salute him back as the captain, the leader," catcher Hector Sanchez said. "Everybody has their own ritual or habit. I have a bunch, but I make sure to salute him back from the dugout."

Pagan said the gesture has become so popular that fans in the center-field stands greet him with a salute when he takes his position. Even his wife has gotten into the act.

But he makes a point not to look in the opponents' direction, lest they think he's showing them up.

"I don't want to be disrespectful to any team," he said. "It's just something the fans enjoy."

They like what they've seen of Pagan and No. 2 hitter Marco Scutaro as table setters for a Giants offense that came alive in the second half of the season, averaging five runs a game.

Scutaro arrived via trade July 27. A week later, manager Bruce Bochy returned Pagan to the leadoff spot after he had batted fifth or sixth for two months. From Aug. 1 on, Pagan batted .309 with 53 runs, while Scutaro hit .357 with 38 runs. They've been factors in the playoffs, too. Scutaro was the National League Championship Series MVP after batting .500. Pagan became the second player to lead off two playoff games with home runs.

"He's really been amazing, how he comes out ready to go every day, how hard he plays," Bochy said of Pagan, a free agent after the season. "You learn to appreciate what these guys bring to a club, like a Pagan or a Scutaro or (Hunter) Pence, players like that."