Jered Weaver returned for the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday after spending nearly two months on the disabled list. The All-Star pitcher was perfect for the first four innings and threw six innings of one-run ball in the Angels’ 4-3 win over the Dodgers. Weaver earned his first win of the season, and he also did something pretty special before the game began.
Weaver honored Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Angels’ team orthopedist who died on Saturday, by writing the physician’s initials on the back of the mound at Angel Stadium, as noted by the LA Times’ Mike DiGiovanna:
Weaver normally puts an “NA” at the back of the mound in remembrance of Nick Adenhart, his former teammate who died in 2009 after being killed by a drunk driver in a car crash that happened the same night the prospect pitched six scoreless innings.
On Wednesday, Weaver decided to honor Yocum, who lost his battle with liver cancer.
“He was the one to go to and he always had the right answer,” Weaver said of Yocum, via the AP. “It was always about what was in your best interests, and if he didn’t recommend it, he would say it. He was always truthful and honest about all the little nagging injuries that go with trying to get through the course of the season.”
The Angels honored Yocum earlier in the month by naming their training room after him. Weaver put a placard bearing Yocum’s name above the room’s door in the clubhouse. A couple of classy gestures by one of the Angels’ most thoughtful players.
