SAN ANTONIO – Police and firefighters took to the softball diamond to slug it out for charity Saturday. The annual Guns and Hoses charity softball game was played at the Nelson M. Wolff Municipal Stadium off of U.S. Highway 90.
"The numbers on our jerseys are for someone who has been affected or impacted by cancer. They're not the actual players' names and numbers, but rather that of the person whom they are honoring," San Antonio fireman K.C. Doemen said.
The firemen struck first, scoring three runs in the first inning.
The San Antonio Police Department's coach, Detective Rafael Trinidad, paced the sidelines.The 19-year police veteran, also a U.S. Air Force combat military veteran, had a special connection to Saturday night's game. He is a cancer survivor.
"My doctor had called. He told me to stop doing what I was doing. Then he told me I had cancer," Trinidad said.
Trinidad’s wife said that at first, she couldn't believe the news that her exceptionally fit husband had been diagnosed with a deadly illness.
"That was the last thing I thought I would hear about my husband. I was shocked." Audrey Trinidad said.
Rafael Trinidad said when he found out, the first thing he thought about was his children. But things are looking up for the Trinidad family. Next week, "Coach Trinny," as his softball teammates affectionately call him, goes back to fighting crime as Detective Trinidad.
"I understand now is there's just no real rhyme or reason,” Rafael Trinidad said.
The police defeated the firefighters 10-9 in this year's game. But this was a game that wasn't really about the score. It was a chance for police and firefighters to put down their guns and hoses and join forces to fight a deadly illness by raising money.
For more information on Saturday’s game, or the charitable work it supports, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1164018560336890/.