Baseball had been a refuge for him, and he wanted to provide that for them, too. “And he always made it a point to take the underdog of the team and give that kid extra time.”Ĭoaching allowed him to connect with kids he saw himself in. “He would get so geared up just to coach these kids, even if they were the worst team,” McBride said. He’d study the strengths and weaknesses in opponents. He’d take his squad out for pizza.Įven when his team wasn’t playing, he’d show up at games and sit in the stands. He’d post photos of his team on Instagram, referring to the middle schoolers as his squad. He remained connected to the game by coaching at Redondo Beach Little League and giving private lessons until coronavirus-related restrictions took both away from him. Off the field, he was so nice, but on the field he was so competitive.”Īfter high school, Denhart played ball at Harbor College. “He’d talk sh#t as he was running around the bases. “He’d get so fired up when he hit a home run,” Bronstein said. “He was good in tough situations,” Ammentorp said. Tim Ammentorp, Denhart’s coach at Redondo, described him as a quiet and “very competitive” athlete who possessed “the confidence that he could get the job done in any situation.” It means a whole lot to be part of that.” “I don’t know how many no-hitters there have been at Redondo, but Sean has one of them,” he said. Duane Decker wrote in his book, Switch Hitter, that a no-hitter is so rare as to be “a freaky thing.”Ĭole Butler, now the assistant coach for the high school’s varsity team, was Denhart’s catcher during that game. There are pitchers in the Hall of Fame who never threw one. Since 1876, only 305 have been thrown in Major League Baseball, about two a year. A pitcher pulls off a no-hitter when no batter reaches base on a hit during an entire game. People who don’t play baseball might miss the significance of this. When he was a sophomore at Redondo Union High, Denhart pitched a no-hitter. “He was the kind of guy who could walk into a room and everybody would be just jazzed to see him.” ‘A freaky thing’ “Everybody loved him, and he loved everybody,” McBride said. He didn’t just love the people in his life he was proud of them, he celebrated them, he showed them off. team played, placed bets in fantasy leagues, and collected merchandise from all baseball teams, including the ones in the D-leagues. He didn’t just love sports he watched every game an L.A. He didn’t just love reggae and underground hip-hop he listened to both with religious devotion. He didn’t just love sunsets he posted one on his Instagram story every night. “Whatever he did,” said Jake Bronstein, another close friend, “he locked in.” If he decided to do something, he didn’t do it with half a heart. “He just had the biggest heart,” said close friend Sean Rommero, half of the duo known as The Seans.ĭenhart, who looked boyish no matter the length and fullness of the dark beard he often wore, approached life and relationships the way he approached an inning. He loved the game the way he loved his friends, the Miami Dolphins, his mom, and his grandma: with everything he had. He seemed to grow taller when he boasted about the Little League teams he coached. His crystal-blue eyes lit up when he talked about it. Her sarcasm was affectionate, as theirs mostly was.īeneath it, she knew what everyone in his life knew: Denhart loved baseball. “Babe,” he’d say, “there’s my office.” She teased him every time, about being in his thirties and reveling in the days of glory, when he was a star pitcher on Redondo Union High School’s varsity team and known in the South Bay for throwing a fastball 94 miles per hour. When Denhart would drive past the baseball field on Prospect and Vincent with Taylor McBride, his girlfriend of five years, he’d proudly point it out. 30, two months after the Dodgers won the World Series. He died suddenly of heart failure on Dec. It’s a salute to Sean Denhart, a proud Redondo local who spent some of his most treasured moments there, on that diamond. There’s a #9 on the pitcher’s mound at Seahawk Stadium.
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