Posey explains emotions behind every iconic ‘Buster Hug’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
For every memorable moment from the Giants’ championship dynasty, there was a “Buster Hug” to go along with it.
But, ironically enough, Buster Posey isn’t much of a hugger.
That’s what the former San Francisco catcher and three-time World Series champion told his old Giants teammate, Jeremy Affeldt, this week on the “Built for the Storm” podcast. But in baseball’s biggest moments, it’s hard to hold back emotion — even for the typically stoic Posey.
“You’ve been a part of a lot of big situations,” Affeldt told Posey, noting the no-hitters and championship wins the catcher took part in before his 2021 retirement. “… You really held a lot in, and then it was just at the very end, man, after a World Series, the amount of energy and emotion that came out of you was so refreshing and fun to actually see. .. .
“The Buster Hug energy … there’s a reason why the energy was there.”
Posey was there for his pitchers and other teammates through the ups and downs, win or lose, as the Giants’ longtime backstop. While relievers and aces worked through their frustrations on the mound or in the dugout, he served as a steadfast presence who could bring them back to Earth. And in their greatest moments, he was there with a hug.
“As you know, probably, or may not, I’m not actually that big of a hugger,” Posey said. “That’s not my first instinct, to be a hugger. I’m not sure how you felt at the end of the World Series, but a lot of the time for me, I was obviously extremely excited and thrilled to win, but it was a relief. … Don’t get me wrong, it’s awesome. But by the end of it, there’s just this release of emotion and it’s happiness, it’s excitement.
“It’s also a relief that the job you set out to accomplish was accomplished. And for me, Affeldt, each one of those [World Series wins] was truly just a dream come true … Just years of work coming out right there. I think the reason [Buster Hugs] kind of took on a life of its own is because of what you said: It wasn’t really my first instinct to be a hugger, and it was real.”
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For Giants fans, Buster Hugs were as real as it gets.
And who knows, maybe Posey’s famous gesture will be immortalized in bronze at Oracle Park one day.
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