{"id":3019,"date":"2010-03-06T13:01:25","date_gmt":"2010-03-06T13:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.seamheads.com\/?p=3019"},"modified":"2010-03-06T13:01:25","modified_gmt":"2010-03-06T13:01:25","slug":"padres-to-honor-nay-hernandez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2010\/03\/06\/padres-to-honor-nay-hernandez\/","title":{"rendered":"Padres to Honor Nay Hernandez"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Baseball historian Bill Swank is a guy who doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give up easily. In fact, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the kind of person who never lets go once he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got his claws into something. In this case, its Bill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s long fought dream to have Manuel P. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nay\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hernandez recognized by the San Diego Padres baseball club. <\/em><\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing the name Hernandez doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ring any bells for you. A quick look through the Baseball Encyclopedia will show that he never played major league baseball, but an online search will reveal his stats as a minor leaguer with the Pacific Coast Padres in 1944. And his stats are not very impressive I have to say. Hernandez, an outfielder, batted just .207 in 30 games in his only year in professional baseball. You would think that the Padres would have sent the youngster to a lower classification for some seasoning but Nay Hernandez never appears in a minor league game after 1944.<\/em><\/div>\n
\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
The reason is because he was the only member of the San Diego Padres to be killed in action during WWII. Receiving his draft call in August 1944, Hernandez served with the 94th Infantry Division in Europe. Less than a year after playing his first game for the Padres he was dead.<\/em><\/div>\n
\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
Now, 65 years after his death, Hernandez is to be honored by the Padres. In June, the team will hang a plaque in Hernandez\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s memory in the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153military zone\u00e2\u20ac\u009d beneath the right field stands at Petco Park. The memorial will be unveiled June 14 during pregame ceremonies. <\/em><\/div>\n
\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
Bill, you can release those claws, thanks to your effeorts another war hero is being remembered.<\/em><\/div>\n

Here is the story of Nay Hernandez. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Manuel P. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nay\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hernandez, who was born in San Diego on October 12, 1919, came from a big family. He had ten sisters and four brothers, and he and his twin sister, Margarita, were among the youngest. His parents, Francisco and Gregoria, were originally from Mexico and moved to San Diego in 1903, when Gregoria\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s brother, who had a job on the railroad in San Diego, paid a penny in immigration fees for each of his sister\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s family to enter the United States.<\/p>\n

Francisco found work on farms in southern San Diego County before working for the Street Department of the City of Chula Vista, but with so many mouths to feed, the family was far from wealthy. However, they had a roof over their heads and food on the table. They also had baseball and the Hernandez children loved baseball. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our whole family played ball,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d remembered Nay\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sister Valentina. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We had our own Hernandez team and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d play everybody. My sisters were good too, but Nay was the best.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hernandez was passionate about the game. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153All he wanted to do was play baseball,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d recalled Valentina. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Everyday after school he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d go practice. My mother would ask where he was and Nay was always practicing baseball. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d do his chores and he was gone.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Hernandez attended San Diego High School, where he played for legendary coach Dewey \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mike\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Morrow and was All-Southern California with the varsity team in 1937 and 1938. Hernandez also played in the Pomona Tournament, an annual event that featured Southern California\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s best school teams, and attracted players such as Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson and Bob Lemon. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Manuel Hernandez was an outstanding member of the San Diego High School baseball team,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d recalled Morrow. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He was a fine boy to work with and very popular with all his teammates. He hit in the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcclean-up\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 position for us, which indicates a heavy hitter, and was directly responsible for many of our victories.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/div>\n

Despite his athletic skills, Hernandez did not enjoy the academic side of school, as Walter McCoy, who pitched for the Negro League Chicago American Giants from 1945 through 1948, recalled. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One day he [Hernandez] talked Freddy Martinez and me into playing hooky. We liked school, but we really admired Nay because he was such a good ballplayer. We were flattered he invited us to go with him. We walked to Fifth and Laurel near Balboa Park. There were lots of big, beautiful homes. Nay said he was taking us to one of them. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s when we learned his older sister was a maid for some rich people. She invited us in and fixed a nice lunch. We never played hooky again, but I never forgot that lunch in the rich people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s house.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Hernandez with Cramer’s Bakery (back row, second right)<\/p>\n

Outside of school, Hernandez played American Legion baseball with the San Diego Post 6 team, and after graduation in 1938, he went on to play with the Neighborhood House team\u00e2\u20ac\u201done of the top semi-pro teams in San Diego. Meanwhile, his sister Valentina earned recognition as one of the finest softball players in the county with the Coronado Lime Cola team. Walter McCoy played against Hernandez on the sandlots. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sandlot ball in San Diego was top notch,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d recalled McCoy. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I was with Cameron\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Cafe and we met Neighborhood House for the city championship in \u00e2\u20ac\u212240. We played at University Heights, where Ted Williams played as a kid. The place was packed because we were both good teams. Nay was a consistent hitter. He always made contact and had pretty good power. You had to be careful pitching to him. [He] was a very quiet guy, easy going, never gave any trouble, but he was tough. Some people misread him and made the mistake of pushing him too far. If you got in a fight with him, you were in trouble. All the Hernandez boys were boxers and Nay never lost a fight.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nay’s sister, Valentina, was a fine softball player<\/p>\n

In 1940, Nay married Lucy Villa, and the couple had a son later that year named Manuel (known as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Baby Nay\u00e2\u20ac\u009d). \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I remember the first game after he got married,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d recalled<\/p>\n

Jesus \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jesse\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ochoa, a Neighborhood House teammate. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He swung and missed the first pitch. He swung so hard at the second pitch that he fell down. We yelled at him: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what happens when you get married, Nay.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Hernandez with his brothers (Nay is second left)<\/p>\n

By 1944, Hernandez – who had not been drafted by the military due to a heart murmur – was playing ball with the Rohr Aircraft Corporation team in the County League. The Pacific Coast League – just one level below the majors – was one of only 12 minor leagues in operation due to the manpower shortage and war restrictions, and San Diego Padres manager George Detore was desperate for players. When he saw Hernandez play in a Padres exhibition game against Rohr Aircraft, he offered the young outfielder a contract. Detore paid Hernandez $250 a month and he joined the Padres for spring training, showing his ability against powerhouse military and defense plant teams and earning a spot on the roster for the regular season.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>On Opening Day, April 8, 1944, in front of 5,000 hometown fans at the Padres\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Lane Field ballpark, Hernandez trotted out to left field for his first taste of professional baseball. Batting sixth in the line-up against the Oakland Oaks, he went 1 for 2, and scored a run in the Padres 8\u00e2\u20ac\u201c5 win. A week later, on April 15, again playing against Oakland, Hernandez went 2 for 4 with a triple as San Diego won, 8\u00e2\u20ac\u201c3. He enjoyed his best game at the plate against Seattle on April 20, going 3 for 6 with a double in the Padres 3\u00e2\u20ac\u201c2 win over the Rainiers.<\/p>\n

Manuel, Jr., would watch his father play at Lane Field. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I remember my Uncle Chapo would put me on his shoulders and jump over the seats to go down to the field,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he recalled. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I was a little guy and it scared me, but my dad would come to the fence. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d hand me over the fence. My dad would hug me and hand me back to my uncle.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Defensively, Hernandez was sensational. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He could run like a deer,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Joe Valenzuela, also a rookie with the Padres in 1944. Valentina Hernandez also recalls her brother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s defensive abilities. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I remember him running for a long fly ball at Lane Field,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He caught it leaping over the fence, but he hung on to it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Despite his defensive prowess, Hernandez struggled at the plate against the Coast League pitchers and batted a lowly .207 in the 30 games he played for the Padres.<\/p>\n

Hopes of a second season in professional baseball were dashed when Hernandez received his draft call on August 8, 1944. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The twist in the Nay Hernandez story is that he would not have gone into the Army had he not played professional baseball,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said San Diego baseball historian Bill Swank. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When he was able to play for the Padres – who were desperate for warm bodies in 1944 – the draft board decided that he must be able to carry a rifle, too.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I saw Nay before he left,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d recalled McCoy. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I was home on leave and he was in his uniform saying good bye to his friends at the barber shop.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d When Hernandez left his young wife and son for basic training it was early morning. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was still dark outside,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d recalled his son, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153and my dad was wearing his Army uniform. He had his duffle bag. I remember he told me, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcNow, you take good care of your mother, because I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m coming back.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 I was just a little kid and didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what he meant.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Not long after Hernandez got into the service the Germans made their last major offensive in the Ardennes in Europe, later known as the Battle of the Bulge. America put all her available troops into the European campaign and, just three months after joining the Army, Private Hernandez was in Germany as a replacement with the 376th Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division. The division had been in the European Theater since August 1944, and had originally been in Brittany, France, where it was responsible for containing some 60,000 German troops besieged in the Channel ports of Lorient and Saint-Nazaire. On New Year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Day 1945, the division headed northward to help hold the Third Army front, where it found itself in the thick of the coldest winter in Europe in years.<\/p>\n

Occupying a sector between the Moselle and the Saar rivers – the sole spot of German soil held by American troops at the time – conditions for a young man from San Diego, California, were alien. With night temperatures falling to around zero degrees Fahrenheit, his top priorities were keeping his head down in foxholes, and finding ways to stop his feet from freezing. The division had an epidemic of trench foot.<\/p>\n

On January 14, the 94th Infantry Division – known as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Patton\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Golden Nugget\u00e2\u20ac\u009d – went on the offensive and seized the German towns of Tettingen and Butzdorf. The following day, Nennig was taken, but strong Nazi counterattacks followed, and the towns changed hands several times before being finally secured. Moving east, the division took Sinz in early February, and launched an attack across the Saar River. By the beginning of March, the division was 700 miles further south, spearheading the Third and Seventh Armies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 drive to the Rhine. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We are pretty dam [sic] busy,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hernandez noted in a letter home, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153and we are moving so dam [sic] fast I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t much time to write. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been taking town after town.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Around March 20, 1945, the 376th Infantry Regiment was called upon to capture the industrial city of Ludwigshafen, one of Germany\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s prize chemical producing centers. The city had been a prime target for strategic bombing by the Allied air forces because its factories produced much of Germany\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ammonia, synthetic rubber, synthetic oil and other vital chemicals.<\/p>\n

The city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s railroad yards were important targets too, and hundreds of small factories produced war materials, such as diesel engines for submarines. When the 376th Infantry Regiment entered Ludwigshafen they were met with an artillery attack and by strong resistance from fanatical German troops defending their homeland in the rubble and ruins of the city streets. Fighting against snipers, concealed anti-tank guns and cellar strongholds, Private Hernandez was among many young Americans who were killed before Ludwigshafen was taken on March 24, 1945. Unfortunately, for Hernandez, a week after his death the 94th Infantry Division was pulled out of action and sent to Willich, Germany, for Occupation duty.<\/p>\n

On April 3, 1945, a Western Union telegram was delivered to Mrs. Gregoria Hernandez in San Diego, advising \u00e2\u20ac\u0153that your son Pvt. Hernandez Manual P. was killed in action in Germany.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I remember my mother crying,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d recalled Manuel, Jr. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never heard her crying like that before. She was wailing. I figured it out when she took me to my grandparents\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 home down by 27th and Newton. Everybody was crying. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s when I realized my dad was never coming home.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Several days later, Gregoria received the last letter her son wrote. It was dated March 5, 1945, and written from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Somewhere in Germany.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In the letter, Hernandez asked his mother not to worry and said he was taking good care of himself, but if anything should happen to him, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the government will let you know about it as soon as possible.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He added, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Lord is watching over me because I had some close deals and I was praying to God that the next one would land somewhere else.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In closing, Hernandez asked for his love and kisses to be given to all his family. His last sentence was, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So may God bless you all at home and be with you at all times. Your son, Nay.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Manuel Hernandez will always be remembered as a fine example of young manhood,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d wrote Mike Morrow after hearing of Hernandez\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153[We] will remember him for what he was, a fine clean boy, and a splendid competitor. He gave his life, fighting, that other boys might take part in athletics in years to come, in this great democratic country of ours.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Hernandez was buried at the United States Military Cemetery in Luxembourg, with full military honors. Three years later – at the request of the family – his body was returned to his hometown. On August 16, 1948, final rites for Private Hernandez were conducted at the First Nazarene Church. His body now rests at Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I like to use my full name: Manuel P. Hernandez, Jr.,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d his son explained recently, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Because I am very proud to be named after my father. I could never accomplish what he accomplished, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also very proud of my mother. She was Rosie the Riveter. She worked in an aircraft factory during the war. Women who lost their husbands had to work and raise their kids. They sacrificed and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think they get enough credit. If it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t for my mother, I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be who I am.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

There is a rather unusual but pleasant postscript to this story. In February 1996, Tara McCauley, who was hoping to find her father, contacted the San Diego Padres. All she knew was that her grandfather, Manuel \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nay\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hernandez, had played for the Padres many years before. Tara was the daughter of Hernandez\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s son, and baseball historian Bill Swank began the search for Manuel Jr. When he eventually tracked him down, father and long-lost daughter were reunited. Tara\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grandmother had taken Tara away from Manuel Jr., shortly after she was born, and he had no contact with her again. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Because of baseball, my father found my daughter for me!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Manuel Jr.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Nay\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s biography appears in my book Baseball\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Dead of World War II<\/a><\/em>, which was published by McFarland in December 2009.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baseball historian Bill Swank is a guy who doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give up easily. In fact, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the kind of person who never lets go once he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got his claws into something. In this case, its Bill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s long fought dream to have Manuel P. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nay\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hernandez recognized by the San Diego Padres baseball club. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":706,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[4066,265,640,4065,2281,4071,4069,191,4070,4063,2311,499,1617,4067,112,2192,4062,4064,4072,4068],"class_list":["post-3019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-94th-infantry-division","tag-baseball-encyclopedia","tag-baseball-historian","tag-bill-swank","tag-first-game","tag-four-brothers","tag-gregoria","tag-major-league-baseball","tag-military-zone","tag-minor-league-game","tag-minor-leaguer","tag-outfielder","tag-petco-park","tag-pregame-ceremonies","tag-professional-baseball","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-san-diego-padres-baseball","tag-san-diego-padres-baseball-club","tag-twin-sister","tag-war-hero"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/706"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3019\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}