Giants’ Luis Gonzalez had fitting meeting with ex-slugger
Jun 17, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants right fielder Luis Gonzalez (51) rounds the bases on a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco Giants rookie Luis Gonzalez certainly has a familiar name to longtime baseball fans. He is not related to former Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Luis Gonzalez, so the pair had never formally met before.
That changed Tuesday, when the Giants set up a meeting between Gonzalez and Gonzalez at the request of the former Diamondbacks star, who now serves as a special advisor to the organization and joined the team for their road trip to San Francisco.
Finally got to meet Luis Gonzalez!! https://t.co/1MiukvICbt
— Luis Gonzalez (@Luisgonzo20) July 13, 2022
The pair posed for a photo, and the Diamondbacks plan to get each of them to sign a pair of copies so both have a signed memento from the meeting.
The Giants and Diamondbacks PR staffs are getting Luis Gonzalez and Luis Gonzalez to sign a photo they took together yesterday, so each has a copy. The Giants' Luis Gonzalez was thrilled with the meeting, saying it was "a really special moment" https://t.co/5cd8TlB16E
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) July 13, 2022
“It was so cool,” the Giants’ Gonzalez said, via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I was telling him that since I was a little boy I was watching him play and he was one of my favorite players, so for them to say that Luis Gonzalez wanted to meet me, it was pretty cool.”
The younger Gonzalez even went to high school in Tucson, so he was very familiar with the former Arizona star. He even admitted that on multiple occasions, he has been mistaken for Gonzalez’s son.
The elder Gonzalez achieved legendary status with the Diamondbacks, and is remembered for his game-winning hit off Mariano Rivera in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. No wonder Gonzalez was excited for the meeting. The Giants rookie certainly did not make the same mistake another former player apparently did a number of years ago.