Wade's whirlwind call-up ends with solid Giants debut

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LaMonte Wade Jr.'s Giants debut Sunday was a whirlwind.

Wade left his hotel near the team's alternate site in Sacramento at 7 a.m. PT after the Giants called him up, arriving at Oracle Park around 8:30 a.m. At noon, he learned he would start in center field, doing so in a ballpark he had never so much as visited.

"Today is my first time seeing Oracle Park inside, everywhere," Wade told Greg Papa and Randy Winn during "Giants Postgame Live" following San Francisco's 4-0 win over the Colorado Rockies.

"This is my first time. It's pretty cool."

Wade could've described his Giants debut the same way. He went 2-for-3, hitting a single, a double and drawing a walk. The 27-year-old played in left and center field, relying on advice from fellow outfielders Alex Dickerson, Austin Slater and Mike Yastrzemski on dealing with Oracle Park's wind and reading bounces off the brick right field wall.

The Giants optioned Wade to the Sacramento River Cats on March 28, and he spent about two weeks at the alternate site prior to the start of the Triple-A season. With four scrimmages against the A's alternate-site roster last week, Wade stayed sharp while he waited for his shot in the big leagues.

"We're still getting at-bats in," Wade explained. "We're still getting our work in, treating it like it's a game over there -- like it is. Everybody over there is still putting in great work so that when we do get called on, that we can come over here and not lose a beat."

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Wade looked right at home in his Oracle Park debut, even though he didn't have a chance to get to know his new surroundings. That'll change ahead of Monday's game against the Cincinnati Reds.

"I'm definitely looking forward to shagging [batting practice] tomorrow so I can get a little better jumps out there, and be more prepared," Wade said.

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