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San Diego native Tom DeLonge is a diehard Padres fan. The Blink-182 frontman was on hand to take in Game 1 of an NL Wildcard matchup against the Braves.
In fact, he threw out the first pitch to kickstart the team’s potential run to a World Series championship.
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The scenes in Petco Park were absolutely insane with DeLonge in attendance.
As often happens in between the baseball action, the home crowd was seen breaking into a stadium-wide singalong of “All The Small Things” in between innings. The electricity would continue throughout the contest as San Diego grabbed an early series lead with a 4-0 win.
Catcher Kyle Higashioka was a big part of that shutout victory.
Not only did he do his part behind the plate, but the nine-hole hitter did some damage at the back of the order in the batter’s box.
@espn #Padres take Game 1 against the #Braves 🙌 #mlb #baseball #playoffs #nationalleague #october ♬ original sound – ESPN
Higashioka went 1-for-2 at the dish, racking up a pair of RBIs. He saved his best for the final at-bat, taking Atlanta reliever Luke Jackson yard on a 1-2 pitch.
Tom DeLonge was watching!
After the game, a gift from the singer awaited the catcher as he made his way to the clubhouse. DeLonge left his guitar from the “All The Small Things” video, which blew Higashioka’s mind.
After taking the moment in, he proceeded to play the popular song’s riff. He wasn’t too shabby!
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The gift was welcomed by Kyle Higashioka, and he’d make sure to show his appreciation to Tom DeLonge in Game 2.
The backstop homered again in San Diego’s 5-4 win to help the Padres clinch the series and move onto the NL Divisional round. They’ll now face the rival Dodgers with hopes of advancing to the Championship series.