Mariners fan travels to Giants’ waterfront ballpark, fondly remembering time there with slain son

By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Baseball Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When Mariners fan Keith Beach was asked whether he might be interested in using the seats from a friend of a friend for a big league baseball game, he immediately inquired about when and where.

July 4. Oracle Park, San Francisco. Mariners-Giants matinee.

His heart suddenly touched by a flood of emotions, the 71-year-old Beach knew he absolutely had to make the trip from his home in the Seattle suburbs — walking boot for a torn Achilles tendon and all. His son was killed while attending a co-ed softball tournament in the Washington coastal town of Long Beach during the July 4 weekend eight years ago and they had special memories together at San Francisco’s waterfront ballpark. The father and son attended a game here a year before Jeff Beach was beaten to death at age 36 in a case that remains open.

“We were here in 2014,” recalled Beach, who also played baseball and shared that love over the decades with his son. “We got to go to a game. We were visiting San Francisco, he told his mom we had to go.”

So Beach made his plans a few weeks back to fly from Seattle on an 8 a.m. flight Tuesday with three friends: Ray Gross, Dick Weaver and Steve Yost, decked out in Mariners gear.

First-year Mariners bullpen coach Stephen Vogt popped outside from a pregame meeting for a quick hello to the group in their seats a couple of rows behind the Seattle on-deck circle during a picture-perfect Bay Area day.

Beach, who also lost his daughter Jennifer at age 17 in a car crash, could remember fondly his trip with Jeff.

They were headed home on a flight scheduled for just before 8 p.m. after the game, which the Mariners won 6-0. It was all worth it, even with Beach wearing a walking boot over his right foot for the Achilles tendon he tore about a month ago.

“The last time I was here was with my son,” Beach said. “It’s a one-day, stupid thing that you just do.”

Nah, not stupid at all but rather quite special.

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