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Tony Gwynn Jr. starts in San Diego three months after his dad's death
One of the loudest ovations Tuesday night at Petco Park went to a member of the visiting team.
Philadelphia Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg ensured that when he inserted the son of San Diego's most beloved athlete into his lineup.
Tony Gwynn Jr. started in centerfield and hit leadoff against the Padres three months to the day after his 54-year-old father lost a four-year battle with cancer. It was the younger Gwynn's first plate appearance in his hometown since May 2012 when he was a member of the Dodgers.
Though Gwynn went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Philadelphia's 5-4 loss to the Padres, that surely didn't detract too much from a special night. The crowd greeted him with a hearty ovation before his first at-bat and fans in the bleachers greeted him with chants of "Tony! Tony! Tony!" when he jogged to the outfield before the bottom of the first inning.
Give credit to the Phillies organization for making those moments possible. They were certainly under no obligation to recall the struggling 31-year-old outfielder in September, nor did they have to give him a start in San Diego at the expense of a younger prospect in need of Major League experience.
Rewarding Gwynn was a nice gesture for a player who has endured an especially tumultuous summer.
Burdened by the knowledge that his father's health was in decline, Gwynn struggled mightily at the plate the first two months of the season and hit well below .200. Gwynn took some time away from the Phillies to be with his family after his dad's death, but the standing ovation he received in his first plate appearance back from bereavement leave soon gave way to more struggles.
The turning point was actually being sent down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in mid-July. Playing everyday helped Gwynn refocus on baseball, refine his swing and regain his confidence, all of which contributed to him hitting .290 with a .383 OBP in 20 games before being called back up by the Phillies.
The younger Gwynn told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday that it has been bittersweet coming back to his hometown this week so soon after his dad's death. He is playing in a ballpark located at "19 Tony Gwynn Drive." A bronze statue of his father's trademark swing is visible from the batter's box, as is his dad's retired No. 19 sitting atop the batter's eye.
“When you’re by yourself, you tend to dwell on the past a lot,” Gwynn told the Union-Tribune. “When I’m with the guys, or with my family and friends, I try my best to focus on the now. I have so many memories of my dad, I’ll never not have something positive to think about my dad. But for the sake of grieving, for the sake of continuing on, I have to focus on now.”
Maintaining that focus was surely extra hard for Gwynn on Tuesday night as he came to the plate in San Diego for the first time since his dad's death. It was a poignant moment for Gwynn and a chance for San Diego fans to show their support for the son of the man known as "Mr. Padre."
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
