Watch: Padres' Rosales salutes grieving teammate Solarte after homer
#PorSiTeLoPerdiste @arosie7 pego un jonrón en la parte ⬆️2⃣. 👏 Sigue la acción >> https://t.co/brSkhciWcr pic.twitter.com/W9Awp8Wv3m
— Padres de San Diego (@LosPadres) September 18, 2016
For the San Diego Padres, the result of Sunday's game - a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies - was far from their greatest concern.
The Padres were playing with heavy hearts after learning that teammate Yangervis Solarte's wife, Yuliett, died Saturday after battling cancer.
With Yangervis now away from the team for an undetermined period of time, Adam Rosales took it upon himself to send a message of support. When Rosales took Chad Bettis deep in the second inning, he finished his home-run trot by using Solarte's trademark hand-clap celebration at home plate.
ICYMI: @padres Adam Rosales pays tribute to Solarte at the plate after a solo HR in the 2nd @FOXSportsSD pic.twitter.com/iKBVKY1CE4
— Julie Alexandria (@JulieAlexandria) September 18, 2016
Rosales told reporters the tribute was planned by the team before the game.
"I thought about Yuliett and Solarte the whole time (running the bases)," Rosales said. "It was just a tribute. I feel like it would mean a lot to Solarte to know how much he means to us, how much his family means to the San Diego Padres."
In addition to Rosales' action, Padres shortstop Luis Sardinas honored his teammate by wearing his back pant pocket inside out, a la Solarte. The Rockies and Padres also held a moment of silence in memory of Yuliett before Sunday's game.