Yangervis Solarte hits homer on one-year anniversary of wife's death
San Diego Padres infielder Yangervis Solarte delivered the most emotional home run of his life Sunday. On the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death, Solarte hit one of the longest home runs of his career.
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Solarte’s hit occurred in the top of the sixth inning. He hit a first pitch slider from Chris Rusin 443 feet out to left center. According to ESPN’s Home Run Tracker, it was the second longest home run of Solarte’s career.
The hit occurred a year to the day Solarte’s wife, Yuliette, died after complications with cancer. As Solarte was rounding the bases, he looked up toward the sky. While approaching home plate, he pointed up, jumped and clapped his hands together. Solarte always claps his hands together after home runs, but this was a much more deliberate celebration.
Yuliette’s death was one of the most heart-breaking stories of the 2016 season. The Padres rallied around Solarte while he was away from the team with family. Adam Rosales mimicked Solarte’s home run celebration a day after Solarte’s wife died. Solarte’s return to the team a few weeks later was inspirational and emotional.
The 30-year-old Solarte was hitting .251/.316/.409, with 16 home runs, coming into Sunday’s game.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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