SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. >> Pablo Sandoval and Justin Verlander know their shared history. The two will be forever linked in baseball lore.

More than a decade after that memorable night in San Francisco, Sandoval has no intentions of bringing up the past.

“I don’t bring it up,” said Sandoval, a guest instructor with the Giants this spring. “When you respect a player, (when) you respect a guy who’s still playing that throws the ball the way he does, you don’t bring old memories up. It’s going to be there forever, but you don’t bring it to the guy when you respect him.”

Sandoval, of course, is referring to Game 1 of the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, a night where he joined Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols as the only players to hit three home runs in a single World Series game. Two of those home runs were off Verlander. Sandoval went on to win World Series MVP as San Francisco swept Detroit; Verlander wouldn’t touch the mound again that October.

Due in large part to those three swings, Sandoval will forever maintain icon status in San Francisco. As he sat in Scottsdale Stadium’s first-base dugout before the Giants’ 6-2 win over the Seattle Mariners, Sandoval possessed a much greater interest in looking ahead than looking backwards.

Sandoval is one of several guest instructors that’s been in camp for the Giants, a list that includes members of the ’10, ’12 and ’14 championship teams such as Yusmeiro Petit, Santiago Casilla and Joe Panik. He wasn’t on the original list, but Sandoval sent former teammate and president of baseball operations Buster Posey a text once he returned from playing in Dubai’s Baseball United expressing his interest in helping the team.

“He knows how important it is to wear this jersey,” Sandoval said of Posey. “He knows how to win. He knows how to put the pieces together to win.”

“He’s got a lot of enthusiasm and he’s really happy about being here,” said manager Bob Melvin. “I don’t really check in with him. I just watch how he does his thing and how the guys respond to him. It’s been that way with everybody that we’ve had here, but he’s got a certain flair to him.”

While Sandoval is currently moonlighting as a coach, the 38-year-old’s playing days aren’t quite over. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2021 but intends to play another season for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League.

Along with totaling 10 homers and 79 RBIs over 120 games with the FerryHawks, Sandoval tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

“My family had so much fun spending time with me out there,” Sandoval said. “... That’s why I keep doing it. My kid wants me to play: he’s playing ball now.”

In time, Sandoval will make a decision on what path he takes once he decides to hang up his cleats. For now, he’s enjoying the opportunity to help the Giants wherever he’s needed. On Saturday afternoon, Sandoval spoke to the team’s minor leaguers at Papago Park.

“It was cool hearing stories about that World Series run they did in 2014,” said top first base prospect Bryce Eldridge. “Joe Panik was there and they were showing his highlights. That play he made in Game 7 was the most unreal play of all-time. He definitely doesn’t get as much credit for that. … I feel like that should be in every single video on Instagram about fielding.”

Spring breakout >> Eldridge, the Giants’ top prospect, missed Saturday night’s “Spring Breakout” game against the Texas Rangers’ top prospects due to left hand soreness.

The exhibition was started by 24-year-old left-hander Carson Whisenhunt and featured other top prospects such as 2024 first-rounder James Tibbs III and infielder Jhonny Level.