The red-hot San Quentin A’s baseball team wrapped up their season with a fierce battle against an alumni in late October. After 20 years, Brain McGrath walked back into San Quentin with his Fresno HardCor team. The game ended with a stunning finish, where McGrath and company fell 16-15 to his old alma mater.

“It feels better coming back this time because I get to go home,” said McGrath, in deep reflection. “When I was in–I knew I had to do something good for my daughter. At least 80 percent of people come back to prison and I made up my mind to be among that 20 percent.”

McGrath served time in the prison in the late 90s and played for the then San Quentin Giants.

The HardCor took a 15-14 going into the bottom of the ninth inning. The A’s Zach Moore came up to bat. He worked his way into a 2-2 count with a runner on second base.

Moore found his pitch and smacked a line drive up the left-field gap to score the winning run. The A’s team erupted and celebrated like they just won the World Series. The team then drenched Moore with a Gatorade shower, which actually was a cooler of ice cold water.

“It was surreal,” said Moore. “The last time I’ve batted on the street I was in the same position, but I struck out. So this is a fitting end for me. I will take this with me forever.”

Moore was found suitable for parole and expects to be released in a few months. He credits the baseball program for teaching him how to deal with life’s ups-and-downs and anxieties.

The HardCor rallied in the ninth, down 14-11. Greg Donato and Tony Criado both singled. Ron Rivas smashed a deep double to the center-field gate scoring both runners. He scored off a Ron Henslee single for 15- 14 lead.

HardCor threatened to blow the game wide open with the bases loaded, but the A’s pitcher worked his way out of the inning.

The A’s Montrell McDuff- ie doubled to kicked off the comeback. Juan Navarro doubled to score McDuffie for the 15-15 tie. Moore knocked in Navarro for the win. The A’s finished the season with a 22-12-3 record.

“San Quentin is known around the world and now I can say I’ve been here,” said Criado, who works at Avenal State Prison, as a Dental Health Specialist. “This baseball program gives them a sense of normalcy. Some of these guys will get a second chance at life, the question for them is what they are going to do with it.”

Donato, who said he played in the minor leagues with the Atlanta Braves, added, “I have connected with so many people through baseball, even these walls didn’t stop us from connecting.”

As the game closed, the surreal look on McGrath’s face was still visible as he processed his return.

“I had a good situation on the streets not like most people inside,” said McGrath. “I want people to know the men inside are human beings and going to pay their debt to society. Hopefully when they get out they can get jobs.”

The A’s ended their sea- son with a winning record. They added more games and teams to their schedule. The program is set to have a bigger 2019.

“If you are in the prison system and you like baseball, make your way to San Quentin,” said Mike Kremer, the program’s outside sponsor. “It’s a baseball thing. It’s a life thing. It’s a brotherhood of special guys.

“This is year was full of memorable experiences for both the inmate players and those who came in from the outside. We are looking forward for 2019.”

The San Quentin baseball program was transported back to 1886 to close out its season. The Bay Area’s Vintage Baseball League transformed San Quentin’s Field of Dreams with old-time uniforms and baseball mitts resembling gardening gloves.

San Quentin A’s players were rotated in with the various Vintage League team members for two exhibition games. All the rules of the game and team mascots from that earlier time were implemented.

“We feel obligated to share the Vintage League with others,” said Brian “Specs” W., of the San Francisco Pelicans. “We’re here to recruit for our league.”

The first game was between the Pelicans and the San Francisco Eagles. The second game was an All-Star type game where players from the San Jose Dukes, the Dublin Aces and the Berkeley Clarions got in on the fun. The Hayward Journals, the Pacific’s and the Barbary Coasters were also represented.

Besides the difference in the gloves, the game is played with heavier bats, and the hardballs are softer because they are hand woven and not machine wound. There is no pitcher’s mound. The pitcher, who is called the hurler, stands in a chalked box.

The catcher is known as the “behind” and the umpires are called “sirs”. The sirs wore black suits and black top hats, making each umpire resemble a Monopoly game banker.

There were seven balls instead of the modern four for a walk. Three strikes are the same for a strikeout, but a foul ball is not considered a strike. If a player is hit by a pitch, it is just a ball, and the batter doesn’t advance to a base—also, no helmets for the batters.

“All the years I played baseball, I never thought about the history and how the game evolved,” said A’s Anthony Denard. “It was a different experience all the away around. I’m thinking about looking to playing in the league when I get out.”

The only modern equipment used are the cleats, which are painted black to stay in the character of the times. All the other items have to be specially made.

“Playing in the old shoes is too dangerous,” said Will Lyons, Eagle’s coach. “Coming here has been very informative – with everything going on in society, we are trying to find things to bring people together.

“We definitely are coming back if the guys are interested,” added Lyons.

In the re-creation of the 1886 league on the Lower Yard, the men in blue learned terms like “outs” are called “hands” and fans are known as “cranks”. The game is only seven innings. Most games are high scoring due to catching hard-balls with mitts the size of race car driving gloves. The batters also have to wield a 40-45 ounce heavy bat. The Major Leagues now use bats between 32-38 ounces, explained Lyons.

“Our league is a lot like the guys here – it’s a gentlemen’s game,” said Pelican’s “Fish” Benz. “It’s very supportive. It’s not about arguments or being macho. If someone shows too much aggression, they are asked to leave the league.”

“Pop” Altieri of the Pelicans added, “It’s important to learn about the school- to-prison pipeline. A person who did something 30 years ago is not the same person.

“That’s why we wanted to support this program. Baseball teaches life; it teaches you to play within the rules and be a part of something bigger than yourself,” continued Altieri.

As the Oct. 27 game ended, the prisoners were treated to the final 1886 tradition. All the players went to the chalked box and removed their hats to the crowd and yelled “Hazzah” (hooray) to the right and “Hazzah” to the left. Then a “Hazzah” is given to the sirs.

“This experience I won’t forget for the rest of my life,” said Carl Gibbs, the games head sir. “The guys were great. I drove by this place a thousand times, and I never thought about the men. Now I had the chance to see into their lives.”