'That's so good, yes!' Ward homers during grandmother's interview

ST. PETERSBURG -- Before Bally Sports West’s Erica Weston was set to interview right fielder Taylor Ward’s family during his at-bat against the Rays in the fourth inning of Thursday's 8-3 loss, Ward’s father, Joe, noted how cool it would be if Ward homered during the interview.

His wish came true when his son smacked a solo homer off right-hander Drew Rasmussen, and it came while Weston was interviewing Taylor’s grandmother Faye, who traveled from North Carolina to see her grandson play in all four games at Tropicana Field this week. Faye cheered as Ward connected on the 1-2 slider.

“That’s so good, yes!” Faye said as the ball traveled over the center-field fence. “Maybe we brought him a little luck.”

Joe Ward, who lives in the Orlando area, has traveled with his wife, Samantha, to see his son play often this year, attending games in Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Baltimore and Atlanta because of his ability to work from home. But he said this was an especially cool moment because Ward was able to homer in front of his grandmother, who hadn’t seen him in three years because of COVID-19.

And, of course, he was happy it was all caught on live television.

“Erica and I were talking and I said, ‘How cool would it be if he hit a home run while we were doing the interview?’ and sure enough ...” Ward said. “That was pretty cool.”

Faye, 95, was still excited when talking about the homer a few innings after it happened.

“I loved it!” she said.

Ward, 28, didn’t know what had happened until he was told after the game, but he was pleased to hear how it all unfolded.

“I mean, it’s amazing,” Ward said. “I can’t remember how many years it’s been since she got a chance to see me play. It’s a great moment for me. I’m just super happy she was able to see it.”

It was the 17th homer of the year for Ward, who has been experiencing a breakout season with the Angels. Ward began the year as one of the hottest hitters in baseball but cooled off after a shoulder injury sapped his strength. But he's been heating back up again, also providing an RBI double in the 11th inning on Wednesday.

“It was fun when he started off hot. I always believed he could be like any of these guys,” Joe Ward said. “I knew he had it in him, and he’s shown it.”

Ward said that it’s been nice having his family on the road this season; his maternal grandmother, Betty, was also in attendance as well as his wife, who is also named Taylor, and his brother and his wife.

“It’s great,” Ward said. “I’m always happy when they get to see me play. They love it. They’re very lucky to be able to do that and for me to be in this situation.”

Ward added that he’s been feeling better at the plate, and he hit .375 with a homer, a double and two RBIs during the four-game series vs. Tampa Bay. He's now hitting .244/.325/.414 with 17 homers and 46 RBIs in 101 games this season.

“A little better,” Ward said. “I’ve been finding holes and barreling up more balls. Hopefully I can continue that.”

Interim manager Phil Nevin also liked what he saw from Ward during this series and said he’d like to see him finish the season strong. He also noted that Ward’s homer came against a tough pitcher in Rasmussen.

“This guy is tough on right-handers, they don’t hit him,” Nevin said. “He left one out in the zone, but when those guys make a mistake, which is rare, you’ve got to be ready to hit, and he was in a good position and hit that one over the fence. But he’s hit some other balls hard this week. He’s coming along. He still has his right-center-field approach. I love the way he swings the bat, and we gotta keep it going."