San Diego Padres catcher Jorge Alfaro wasn’t able to spend Mother’s Day with his mom in Colombia, but he gave her a gift she’ll always remember: a home run.
Even more amazing: She predicted he’d hit one for her even though he wasn’t in the lineup for Sunday’s game with the Miami Marlins.
Earlier that day, Alfaro called his mom at her home in Sincelejo to wish her a happy Mother’s Day. Although he wasn’t scheduled to start, she had a message for him.
“If you’re not in the lineup, just be ready, you’re going to hit a home run today,” Alfaro told MLB.com, relaying what his mom said to him. “I’m like, ‘Mom, that’s hard to do.’”
She didn’t seem deterred, telling her son, “I don’t care, whatever,” before adding, “God bless you, have a good game.”
Spoiler alert: He did, or at least a very timely at-bat.
The Padres were trailing the Marlins 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two men on base when Alfaro came in to pinch hit. Then, on the first pitch he saw, Alfaro knocked it out of the park, giving the Padres a 3-2 win.
After the game, Alfaro still couldn’t believe his mom’s prediction came true right when it mattered most.
“It’s just unbelievable,” Alfaro told MLB.com. “She called it earlier, right before the game started. … After I hit the ball, I was running the bases, and it was like I was dreaming. It feels like a dream. How did she know?”
