Minor league pitcher Kanoa Pagán was living at his childhood home in Campbell, Calif., when his 8-year-old brother Kekoa, known to many as Koa, died on April 23.
Home was where Kanoa and his three brothers, Koa included, had grown to love baseball. Home was where Kanoa saved money on rent, slowly draining his modest signing bonus from the San Francisco Giants — his favorite team — who picked him in round 19 of the 2019 MLB Draft.
And home was where Kanoa and his family grieved.
It took weeks of listlessness for Kanoa to eventually return to the mound.