This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado's Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
SAN FRANCISCO -- An emotional scene unfolded at Oracle Park before Monday night’s series opener against the Padres.
In honor of Lou Gehrig Day, the Giants and the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity teamed up to present a life-changing gift to the family of Mill Valley resident Etzael Jimenez, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2023. To help improve his mobility, the Giants gave Jimenez a custom team-branded Permobil wheelchair, a gesture that elicited tears from his mother, Leticia Espinosa.
Jimenez moved to the United States from his native Mexico when he was 20 years old and has spent the last quarter century working as a bartender and server for two Bay Area restaurants. His life was upended by his ALS diagnosis two years ago, which compelled his mother to move to the United States to help care for him.
Jimenez wasn’t on hand for the special pregame ceremony due to some recent health complications, but he was represented at Oracle Park by Espinosa and his caretakers Marla McGlaughlin, Pam Colon and Lance Morgan.
Right-hander Tristan Beck helped unveil Jimenez’s new wheelchair and said it was touching to see the reaction from his family.
“It was a real honor,” Beck said. “The impact that they have, sometimes it feels like you’re a little bit removed from that. But that’s a situation where you can just see the real-world impact that it has. It’s always nice. A lot of guys in this locker room are kind of service-oriented. It’s an amazing platform. Obviously, we show up every day ready to go to work and play ball, but to be able to make impacts like that off the field and be a small part of what that organization is doing means a lot.”
Beck was also honored as a top 10 finalist for the 2025 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, which is presented annually by Phi Delta Theta to the player who best exemplifies the spirit and character of Gehrig on and off the field. Beck, a Stanford alum who typically spends his offseasons in San Francisco, has been involved with several local non-profit organizations since debuting with the Giants in 2023, most notably We’re All Working on Something (WAWOS), which focuses on supporting children with cerebral palsy and related neuromuscular delays.
“I just think that we’re in such a great position here to be a part of it and help raise awareness and raise money and do the little bit that we can to help impact lives,” Beck said. “I think that beyond the field, that’s kind of the thing I love about being here. Obviously, being affiliated with the San Francisco Giants carries a lot of weight in the community. I think it just lends itself to having such an exaggerated impact on organizations that are doing really good work and sometimes don’t always get the resources or attention that this clubhouse brings.”