Nearly 4,600 Albuquerque Isotopes fans cheered loudly as Gallup native and World War II veteran Lawrence Talamante threw out the second pitch during the Aug. 24 home game at Rio Grande Credit Union Field.
He was invited to the game along with fellow veteran Tim Rush. Rush has thrown the first pitch at Isotopes games five other times, but this one was special because it was two days before his 100th birthday.
Meanwhile, Lawrence celebrated his 100th birthday on March 5. In the past several weeks, he’s been in and out of the hospital for various reasons, but Lawrence and his son Paul Talamante said they wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for anything. Lawrence said he wanted to leave a legacy for his grandchildren.
His entire family and some friends attended the game. The team offered Lawrence the opportunity to either throw out a second pitch after Rush or to catch for the fellow veteran. Lawrence walked out on the field with the assistance of a walker to the cheers of the crowd…