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PHILADELPHIA — The cheers started when Tony Gwynn Jr. walked to the batter’s box, grew louder when he was introduced as a pinch-hitter and turned into a standing ovation when catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia went to the mound.
On a night when the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins 7-4, the fans’ reaction to Gwynn trumped the scoreboard. Gwynn grounded out in the eighth inning Tuesday night in his first at-bat since his father, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, died last week. Though he’s batting just .153 in his first season in Philadelphia, fans showed the younger Gwynn some love.
“That’s why guys who play here like to play here,” Gwynn said. “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.”
Saltalamacchia prolonged the ovation by purposely going to the mound, a move Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg called “classy.”
“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.