San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka was one of the heroes in game one of the NL Wild Card series on Tuesday night, hitting a key home run in the eighth inning to seal the victory for his team against the Atlanta Braves. And he was rewarded for it.
Yesterday (October 2), when Higashioka arrived at the team's clubhouse to prepare for game two, he was surprised to receive a gift from Tom Delonge, lifelong Padres fan and co-frontman of Blink-182. The gift? The turquoise Fender Stratocaster Delonge played in the video for Blink's 1999 hit "All The Small Things."
(You too can own a replica of the guitar, if you have about $1,300 to drop.)
"No way," Higashioka said, after learning where the gift came from. "That is unbelievable."
The catcher is known for his guitar playing chops. According to MLB, teammate Jackson Merrill hangs an autographed photo of the 34-year-old veteran in his locker.
Almost immediately after receiving the gift, Higashioka took his new axe to a special room in the clubhouse with an amp set up, where he proceeded to play the chords to "All the Small Things." Obviously a big fan!
The gift wasn't just a random act of kindness from Delonge. The pop-punker was in attendance for Tuesday night's game, and was given the honour of throwing out the first pitch. (It was high, and way out of the strike zone, but definitely not as shameful as some of these first pitches.)
At one point during the game, the crowd joined in on a mass sing-along to "All the Small Things" when it was played over the speakers. Maybe it becomes their anthem for a World Series run? Watch it below.
The San Diego Padres are now headed to the National League Divisional Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, after sweeping the Atlanta Braves last night in the NL Wild Card series.
.@tomdelonge is so real for this 🤘 pic.twitter.com/p5PI627e3B
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) October 2, 2024
The entire crowd at Petco Park is singing All The Small Things with @blink182's Tom Delonge in attendance 🎶👏
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 2, 2024
(via @973TheFanSD)pic.twitter.com/07E6lIXN4H