GWYNN EVENT IS A REMINDER OF HIS LIFE
Wet weather forces hosts SDSU, UC San Diego and USD to adjust schedule
The baseball teams from San Diego State, University of San Diego and UC San Diego all will be hosting games this weekend in the Tony Gwynn Legacy, an event to honor and remember the Hall of Famer.
This year’s field for the event includes Hawaii, North Dakota State, UC Irvine, UNLV and Washington State.
SDSU coach Mark Martinez has previously sent copies of the 2018 MLB Network production “Tony Gwynn — Mr. Padre” to opposing teams, asking them to “please take an hour of your time and learn who he is.”
There is a segment early in the film that includes a Gwynn anecdote that seems particularly appropriate this weekend, given a forecast that will have teams dodging raindrops over the weekend.
Gwynn’s brother Chris shares the story, recalling a game played in Cincinnati in 1996, the one season when the Gwynn brothers were Padres teammates.
“It started raining from the beginning of the game,” said Chris, who came to the plate in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter. “It was soupy in the batter’s box. You couldn’t really stand up. I hit a ground ball to first (for an out), and I was (teed) off.”
After the at-bat Tony came over and sat next to Chris in the dugout and asked his younger brother: “How is it up there?” “Horrible,” Chris said. “Maybe they’ll call it,” Tony responded.
“I looked at him super seriously,” Chris said, “and I told him, ‘Dude, they’re not calling that game unless you act like you can’t see.’ ”
Tony looked at Chris, puzzled by the comment.
Three batters later, Tony was up.
“He wipes his bat with his arm pit,” Chris said, “then he wipes the bill of his helmet . ... and the umpire says, ‘Pull the tarps!’ ”
Chris lets out that big Gwynn laugh at the memory.
It gets better.
The Reds had just brought left-hander Derek Lilliquist into the game to face Gwynn, although Lilliquist had not yet thrown a pitch before play was suspended.
When the Gwynns were walking to their hotel afterwards, Chris asked Tony: “What’s Derek going to throw you tomorrow?”
Tony says, “He’ll throw me a slider and I’ll hit a double to left center.”
“I just look at him like, ‘yeah, OK,’ ” Chris said. “Fast forward to the next day, the game’s getting ready to start, I’m sitting there, and Tony gets up to the plate.
“Tony Gwynn works a 1-1 count, then digs in for the next pitch.
“Lilliquist throws him a frickin’ slider, and he hits a rocket to left-center,” Chris said.
“Ground-rule double. As he gets to second, he kind of looks at me and tips his hat.”
Chris lets out an even bigger Gwynn laugh at the memory.
“I just said, ‘Oh, my god,’ ” Chris recalled. “I bowed down like, ‘I’m not worthy.’ ”
The story added more to Gwynn’s legend than legacy, though this weekend both legend and legacy will get plenty of discussion.
SDSU (0-4) comes into the weekend looking for its first victory after losing four games (three at Arizona State) by a total of six runs.
UCSD (1-3) also is looking for a reversal of fortune after losing three of four games in Arizona at the MLB Desert Invitational.
USD (3-0-1) is coming off a big opening week against Nebraska.
Former USD coach Rich Hill returns for the second straight year with Hawaii (3-1), though this is Hill’s first visit to Fowler Park since heading to Honolulu.
UNLV (3-1), a preseason pick to win the Mountain West,
UC Irvine (4-0) and Washington State (4-0) all had strong opening weeks.
North Dakota State (1-3), which lost three of four last week at Sacramento State, plays 34 straight road games before its April 18 home opener against Mayville State.