SAN FRANCISCO -- You could regard the Giants' season-ending, 15-0 defeat that the Dodgers handed them Sunday as an embarrassment.
Or you can consider it a strangely fitting farewell for Giants right fielder Hunter Pence, who might have played his final Major League game Sunday. Pence, whose contract ended with this season, was all about the effort -- unquenchable, ceaseless, joyful effort -- that he brought to each of the 772 games he played for San Francisco.
• After emotional ending, Pence exits by riding scooter

So circumstances forced Pence to spend his last innings performing in a game that became lopsided in the third inning, when the Dodgers scored seven runs. He still ran hard, as he did in the sixth inning when he pursued a couple of fly balls. He still stayed focused, as one could tell by watching him bounce on his feet with each pitch as he patrolled the outfield.

And, to the very end, he captured the hearts of the fans, who seized what might have been their last opportunity to cheer for him and celebrate his mere presence. They waved rectangular orange placards that bore the hashtag "#GR8FUL," incorporating Pence's jersey number. They showered him with ovations that ranged in volume and length from pregame introductions through a postgame ceremony.
"It was an honor and a privilege today to say thank you to the fans and let them know how much it means to us -- their unconditional support, the passion they bring, the class and integrity, and the fun-loving spirit," Pence said.

Pence's fan club always has had a chapter in the Giants' clubhouse.
"I don't think Hunter has the best tools ever," said outfielder Gregor Blanco, referring to Pence's unorthodox style of executing the game's fundamentals. "He doesn't have a great swing. He throws kind of weird. But one thing that makes him different from everybody else is his desire to be the best player he can be, even though he knows he doesn't have the best skills. He also has the heart, and you know he has the guts."

Said second baseman Joe Panik, "He has been as good of a teammate as you can ask for. No matter what the situation, he's a guy who's engaged in the game and engaged in everybody else. To him, it's always been about the team. From day one since I met him in 2014, he's always been that way."

Pence, 35, batted .308 (12-for-39) in the last 10 games but finished with a career-low .226 average. He nevertheless hopes to hook on with a club before Spring Training, and he'll try to play a few weeks of winter ball beginning sometime in November to prove his big league aptitude.
Of course, Pence's mood remained upbeat as he discussed his plans. He repeated to reporters what he told the fans in his postgame remarks: "The darkest hour of night comes just before the dawn."