Maybe we should have seen Willie Bloomquist’s first spring training home run coming Wednesday.
Abe Speck was at Chase Field, after all.
Speck is the young fan, remember, who called Bloomquist’s shot against San Francisco last June 15.
Bloomquist and Aaron Hill were doing their pregame stretch when Hill noticed a tweet on the Chase Field scoreboard from Abe, 12. Bloomquist waved to Abe and his father in the bleachers, then hit a long home run to left-center field three innings later.
“It was a little eerie,” Bloomquist said.
Abe sent a congratulatory text to Bloomquist after the game, and Bloomquist responded.
“I might have to buy you season tickets if this continues,” Bloomquist wrote.
Speck, 12, attended the June 15 game last year as a guest of Bloomquist’s charitable foundation, which provides game tickets for patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. After Bloomquist hit in batting practice, Speck brought up the home run.
“I said ‘If you hit a home run today, will you point to me? ‘I have a feeling you will hit one tonight,’” Abe said last year.
Bloomquist homered in the third inning of a 5-2 loss.
“As I was rounding the bases, I thought no way this is happening,” Bloomquist said.
“That’s the secret – I have to have him come out to more games, I guess.”
A thought reinforced Wednesday.
