Juan Perez Shed Tears in Dugout, Dedicated Key Double to Late Friend Oscar Taveras

Right about the same time as Game 5 of the World Series was getting underway in San Francisco, brutally sad news began to trickle in across social media that St. Louis Cardinals prospect Oscar Taveras was killed in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic. Social media, as you’d expect, quickly began to fill up with condolences and remembrances from anyone with access to the Internet, making the game feel a little less important, if temporarily.

The news eventually spread to both the Giants and Royals dugouts. San Francisco reserve outfielder Juan Perez, a friend of Taveras and close with his family, took the news especially hard and shed tears in the dugout. Perez told reporters after the game he didn’t believe the news until someone texted him a picture of his friend’s body.

This is so sad: Juan Perez saw a picture of his friend Oscar Taveras' body from the morgue midgame. Somehow composed himself to play.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 27, 2014

Several Giants players have come over to my TV in dugout when heard news abt Taveras..Juan Perez in tears in dugout..
— Erin Andrews (@ErinAndrews) October 27, 2014

Still, there was the matter of the game at hand. Perez entered as a defensive replacement for Travis Ishikawa in left field in the seventh. Only a .170 hitter in the regular season, Perez came up with an important two-run double off ace reliever Wade Davis to put the Giants ahead 4-0. Madison Bumgarner took care of the rest, finishing off a shutout to put the Giants ahead 3-2 going into Tuesday’s Game 5 in Kansas City.

Given that Davis was one of the best relievers in baseball during 2014 and had not given up a home run all season, Perez’s shot to the top of the wall in the deepest part of center field at AT&T Park was, to put it mildly, unexpected.

Players to hit an XBH off Wade Davis in 2014: Conor Gillaspie, Adam Eaton, Tyler Flowers, Kurt Suzuki, Joe Mauer, Juan Perez. Weird list.
— David Cameron (@OneDaveCameron) October 27, 2014

Fittingly, the 27-year-old Perez dedicated his double to his late friend after the game.

That Double was 4 U Oscar! I'll remember the Good Times. God Bless U Bro. I'll miss U man. My condolences! pic.twitter.com/vjQaZiymaF
— Juan Carlos Perez? (@juan_perez24) October 27, 2014

Credit Perez for finding a way to get through the game. I’ll admit ,if I found out a good friend of mine was killed in a car crash I’d probably need some time to compose myself, let alone face a 95-mph fastball in the World Series. Maybe it’s trite or cliché, but it’s easy to forget in this dehumanizing world we live in that athletes are still people with emotions and frailties like everyone else.

[Photo via Getty]