Hoffman Statue in Place, Padres Finally Win

Hall of Famer gets his permanent place at Petco Park ahead of walk-off

Trevor Hoffman has always been tanned.

But this summer he was bronzed.

He got a plaque when he was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame … another plaque when he went on the wall of Petco Park that honors Padres in Cooperstown … and on Saturday night, the piece de resistance.

A statue of Trevor Hoffman was unveiled behind the bullpen he so often walked out of. Hoffy is frozen in (Trevor) time at the apex of his signature leg kick. He was a part of more Padres wins than any player in franchise history.

Maybe we can give him a little bit of credit for this one, too.

The Padres snapped their 5-game losing streak with a 7-6, walkoff win over the Diamondbacks. Christian Villanueva, who didn’t start the game after getting hit by a pitch on Friday night, delivered a pinch-hit single to drive in Travis Jankowski with the game-winner in the bottom of the 9th inning to complete a rare comeback win for the Friars.

San Diego was just 15-58 when their opponents scored first so when Clayton Richard coughed up two runs in the top of the first inning and another in the 3rd inning to fall behind 3-0 it looked like Hoffman’s statue would be the only happy moment of the night to Friars fans.

Then things got a little nutty.

The Padres loaded the bases in the 4th inning and Freddy Galvis singled up the middle to score a pair of runs. Manuel Margot added a sacrifice fly and the game was tied 3-3.

In the 5th inning Arizona took the lead back. After an A.J. Pollock sac fly Paul Goldschmidt drove in his third run of the night win a double and the Diamondbacks were on top 5-3.

That lead didn’t last three outs. The Padres scored three more runs on RBI hits by Eric Hosmer, Cory Spangenberg, and Austin Hedges. But they had nobody who could figure out Goldschmidt.

In the 7th inning the All-Star 1st baseman drove in another run with a single off Phil Maton to top off his 4-hit, 4-RBI night and tie things 6-6. It stayed that way until the bottom of the 9th when Villanueva won it with his line drive to left.

The celebration was made even more special when Hoffman, dressed in his 1998 Padres uniform, ran out to the mound to start a special fireworks show and receive one final standing ovation.

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