Initial thoughts? Looks like H2O spells out OC for Cepeda
It's been a difficult couple of weeks for the Giants. They lost the most iconic player in the franchise's long and storied history, Willie Mays, when he passed away at the age of 93 on June 18. Ten days later, another iconic Giant, Orlando Cepeda, passed away at the age of 86.
But in the midst of the sadness there have been some touching moments on the field, moments that became fitting tributes to the "Say Hey Kid" and the "Baby Bull."
In their first home game following Mays' death, on June 24 – even the date was apt for a tribute to a legendary player who wore the number 24 – the Giants erased a 4-2 ninth-inning deficit and beat the Cubs on a walk-off walk by Wilmer Flores.
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Then, on Friday night, shortly after a moment of silence was held at Oracle Park in honor of Cepeda, Brett Wisely launched a walk-off home run to beat the archrival Dodgers.
You can never script these things. But if those walk-off wins weren't amazing enough under the circumstances, no one could've predicted what Getty Images photographer Thearon W. Henderson would capture with his camera as Wisely crossed the plate.
It was a tribute no one could possibly have planned, let alone conceived of.
With his teammates gathered at home plate to greet him in joyous celebration, they began spraying water into the air over Wisely from their water bottles – a commonplace scene amid walk-off celebrations.
But as common as the water splashes are, this one was unique. Henderson captured a split-second frame that will surely find a prominent place among Giants photos over the years – the water, in mid-air above Wisely's head, formed the letters O and C, Cepeda's initials.
As far as tributes go, it's pretty tough to beat that. An emotional night at the ballpark by the Bay ended more perfectly than anyone could've imagined.