SAN QUENTIN, CA (MPG) - For the fourteen members representing Biggs area baseball that walked into San Quentin State Prison on Saturday, July 20th, only one of them knew what to expect going in and walking out. For Biggs High School varsity baseball coach, Javier Solis, this was his eighth trip to San Quentin to play baseball. Coach Solis knew the deal he made years ago with his young baseball players to go into San Quentin one day and play baseball would be more impactful than any other game they ever played. His hope was that the experience would have a lifelong impact on everyone who stepped onto the field that day. 

The fourteen members of the baseball team arrived around 8:00 AM and congregated around their vehicles chatting and getting their equipment ready to go in as well. The group atmosphere was a relaxed one, but deep down everyone seemed to have the unwelcomed nervousness of what to expect once inside. That nervousness increased as the San Quentin coach approached, and after a few minutes of instruction, the team was on their way into the security checkpoint.

The entrance to the prison was what one might expect. An old castlelike building constructed in the late 1800s. A prison guard checked all identification cards, bags, and equipment entering the prison. As the players walked down a sloped road to the open yard where inmates were freely walking about, reality set in. They were in prison. An open field with an all dirt infield and a backstop was the baseball diamond. Inmates were in their blue California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations uniforms warming up on the field. Dressed in their grey pants and black jerseys, the Biggs players warmed up along the right field line.

Inmates walked about along the outside of the field talking with the players. Things were said to the players from the inmates: “You know this team is 17-0 right?” “Don’t tell them I’m rooting for you, but you guys better win.”

The inmate baseball players changed out of their CDCR uniforms and into provided uniforms from the MLB Oakland Athletics. The transformation was a bit surreal. Everyone on the field looked alike in their baseball uniforms. At that moment everyone was an equal. A ballplayer.

A number of A’s players came over and shook hands with the Biggs team thanking them for coming out to play. It was apparent the A’s players were excited to step onto the field of competition one more time. The gratitude could be heard in their voices, seen by the smiles on their faces, and felt by the grip in their handshakes.

Within fifteen minutes of arriving, the inmate umpire was hollering to play ball. Once the first pitch was released, everyone seemed to forget where they were. It was just pitcher against batter. The Biggs team against the A’s team. And the competition was underway. Biggs got the first hit of the game when Coach Solis singled up the middle in the first inning. Solis scored the first run of the game in the top of the third inning when Bryan Clark hit a hard ground ball to the shortstop and overthrew second base. Joshua Porcayo threw three hitless shutout innings before the A’s offense went to work in the bottom of the fourth inning. The A’s put together four runs scored on four hits and never looked back. With the wind blowing in from the bay, the Biggs offense couldn’t put much together in the air. The A’s outfield was fast and the ball seemed to float in the air. The A’s would go on to win game one by a score of 14-2.

After the game everyone shook hands and thanked each other for a great opportunity before congregating to the pitcher’s mound for a few words from both teams. Coach Solis said a few words of gratitude for a great game and opportunity. Then one of the A’s players spoke. He teared up as he talked about how many inmates don’t get visitors and just how much it personally meant to him that the team was there. He directed his words to the young Biggs players who were about to embark on a new journey of life. His message, “make every decision matter”. He talked about his criminal offense. He talked about his life and the job he had in Oakland before coming to a crossroads in his decision making. He talked about the shame he brought to his family and especially his father.

Another player spoke and told of his story. Again the message was directed to the younger players of the group. His message was similar to the first. “Every decision has a consequence.” The gathering concluded in a quick prayer from one of the inmates directed at the Biggs team and the joys of being able to play baseball. Then the teams departed and went their separate ways. The Biggs team went to lunch. The A’s changed back into their CDCR uniforms.

A few hours later the teams met up again on the diamond. This time the yard was empty except for the two teams. Game two was a different atmosphere. Everyone was more comfortable with each other. A’s players had gotten familiar with the Biggs team and put more attention into the younger players. They wanted to create a bond. An impact on the young lives. The young Biggs players wanted to learn more.

Game two was more about the connection. Because baseball is an emotionally and mentally charged romantic game of competition, it is more than just eighteen players on a diamond shaped field. The game teaches a plethora of life lessons. Lessons like teamwork, emotional control, overcoming adversity, mental toughness to succeed, heartache and loss, and second chances. For many on the field that day on both teams, it was a few hours of second chances. As one A’s player later stated, “When you hold this ball in your hand, and I hold this ball in my hand, we are one.”

When game two concluded and the San Quentin A’s secured their second victory of the day (19-0 overall) by a score of 12-3, the feelings were bittersweet. The Biggs team was in awe of how phenomenal of baseball players the A’s were, and at the same time saddened that the journey was about to end. Postgame handshakes turned into postgame hugs, smiles, and the highest of respects from both teams. Again the teams met at the pitcher’s mound. Two more stories were told. The theme was similar.

With much joy and pride the A’s players presented Coach Solis, Kameron Smith, Luis Orozco, and Christina Stohlman with signed baseballs as a memento of the day’s games. The teams bonded for another fifteen minutes after the gathering concluded before the A’s players had to transform back into their CDCR uniforms and get back to reality.

As the Biggs team departed the prison and walked back to the parking lot, everyone talked about their favorite moment of the day, their favorite A’s player, and how they couldn’t wait to go back and play baseball. It was an impactful day indeed for everyone involved. An experience that will last a lifetime.