Emotional Solarte delivers in 1st AB since wife's death

One week after the death of his wife Yuliett, Yangervis Solarte made an emotional return to the San Diego Padres lineup on Saturday and delivered arguably one of the season's greatest moments.

After receiving a standing ovation from the crowd at Petco Park as he stepped to the plate to pinch hit against San Francisco Giants left-hander Javier Lopez, Solarte smacked a single into left field.

The 29-year-old was noticeably emotional after the hit as he stood on first base, touched his heart, and pointed to the sky.

Yuliett died last week at age 31 due to complications from cancer.

Solarte was incredibly thankful and expressed his gratitude for the support he and his family received from the Padres and his teammates prior to the beginning of Saturday's contest.

''I don't really have enough words to thank the organization for what they've done,'' Solarte said through a translator, according to The Associated Press. ''When I saw some of the guys at the services down in Miami, I was really surprised. I think my wife would have liked to see that and I think she's happy in the sky, looking down and knowing that happened.''