During last night's Phillies 7-4 win over the Marlins, Tony Gwynn Jr. made his return for the first time since his father passed away on June 16th. During the eighth inning, Gwynn Jr. came to the plate to pinch-hit and was welcomed with a standing ovation from the Phillies fans. Attempting to hold back tears with plenty of emotions going through his mind, Gwynn Jr. was felt very honored to return to such a great ovation. (via Phillies.com)
"Needless to say, it was pretty awesome," Gwynn said. "Made the at-bat a little more difficult, had to fight the emotion and the tears and stuff like that. But that's why guys who play here like to play here. When things are going well or regardless of whether they're going bad or good, I think the fans stay behind us. Much appreciated by the Gwynn family."
"It was really hard. Really hard," the Phillies outfielder said. "I was fortunate enough to get two balls to regroup a little bit, but I've never been through anything like that before. Under these circumstances, it was even tougher, but like I said, it was much appreciated."
Marlins catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia made a classy move and gave Gwynn Jr. a little extra time, making a trip to the mound as he stepped to the plate.
"I don't know what it must be like to lose a father, especially a guy who brought so much to this game," Saltalamacchia said.
Even though he grounded out to first in his at-bat, he returned to the dugout to fans standing, applauding.
Tony Gwynn Sr. hit .338 over his 20-year career, all as a member of the San Diego Padres. He retired following the 2001 season. In 2007, Gwynn was inducted into the Hall of Fame, in the first year of eligibility, getting 532 of 545 ballots.
Phillies skipper Ryne Sandberg voiced his appreciation to the fans and the Marlins backstop following the game.
“That was a special moment,” Sandberg said. “I thought it was outstanding by the fans, and Saltalamacchia went out there to the mound, that was classy.”
Though he may only be hitting .153 on the season, June 24th, 2014 will be a day that Tony Gwynn Jr. will hold close to his heart forever. Check out the ovation below.
Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com
