Yankees' Jose Trevino Honors Late Father With Emotional Walk-Off
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NEW YORK — With a chance to drive home the game-winning run in the 11th inning on Tuesday night, Yankees catcher Jose Trevino found himself in a familiar situation.
Decades ago, in his backyard in Corpus Christi, Texas, the future big-league backstop used to practice late-game situations with his father, picturing pinstripes printed on his chest with a sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium chanting his name.
"He always said, 'ninth inning, down one, you need a base hit here to tie the game or win the game at Yankee Stadium,'" Trevino recalled. "He always said, 'I'm preparing you to be a Yankee.'"
Joe Trevino passed away in 2013, five years before his son made his MLB debut with the Rangers and nine years before he was traded from Texas to New York.
Even if his father wasn't in the building on Tuesday night—what would have been his birthday—Trevino said he knew his dad was watching as he turned their backyard fantasy into reality.
Lining a base hit into the left-field corner, Trevino delivered a walk-off single, the decisive blow in New York's dramatic, 7-6 victory over the Orioles.
As Trevino rounded first base, in the seconds before he was mobbed by his teammates, he pointed to the sky while shouting "papi," an emotional moment he'll surely never forget.
"It was definitely a special moment, that's why the tears were there," Trevino said after the game. "It would have been awesome for him to be here, but I know he's watching."
Trevino's day began with a cup of coffee in one of his dad's favorite mugs, one with Mickey Mantle’s rookie card pasted on the side. He then belted his first home run in pinstripes at Yankee Stadium during his first at-bat of the game, the first of three hits and three runs batted in as he helped New York snap a three-game losing streak.
Acquired during spring training in order to bolster New York's depth at the catcher position, Trevino has continued to take advantage of opportunities this season, blossoming with his dad's favorite team.
"He means so much to those guys in such a short time in that room," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "Just really happy for him. He's been so instrumental in us being where we are at this point in the season and tonight to see him really have a huge offensive night, couldn't be happier for him."
In the seventh, Trevino knocked in the game-tying run with an opposite-field single, pumping his fist emphatically as shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa came around to score.
Kiner-Falefa, who was teammates with Trevino in Texas, also scored as Trevino's walk-off rolled on the outfield grass.
It's not the first time Kiner-Falefa has scampered home on a walk-off from Trevino with some added meaning behind it.
"His [third] day in the big leagues, I was on second base and it was Father's Day, and his [second] hit was a walk-off single," Kiner-Falefa said. "For me to score the winning run again, kind of in the same situation on a bigger stage with the Yankees in pinstripes, that was a cool moment for him to really earn those pinstripes and it's incredible, it's something you can't explain and he's gonna remember it for the rest of his life."
Trevino was already emotional as he spoke to YES Network moments after celebrating the win, sending his thoughts and prayers to those impacted by the senseless mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, not too far from where he grew up.
"[I was] just thinking about them,” he said.
Mix that sadness with the joy attached to his unforgettable performance between the lines and its no wonder Trevino's eyes were red and misty during his postgame presser in New York's clubhouse.
Nonetheless, a smile crept across his face as he spoke about his father, mentioning that everybody called him "Bugé," because he loved to dance.
On Tuesday night, Bugé was dancing once again. That's for sure.
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