San Francisco Giants Honor Fallen Navy SEAL In Opening Day Ceremony
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The San Francisco Giants Monday honored the U.S. Navy SEAL killed during a January mission in Yemen with a ceremony before the start of the Giants home opener.
The family of Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens was brought onto the field at AT&T Park in San Francisco to view a video tribute to the Peoria, Illinois native and longtime Giants fan.
In loving memory of American hero, Ryan Owens. pic.twitter.com/Gjf8vCcYsP
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 10, 2017
Following the video, Owens' widow Carryn Owens and his three children all threw out a ceremonial first pitch on the infield grass.
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 10, 2017
The 35-year-old Owens died on January 28 from his injuries sustained during the raid on an al-Qaida base in Yemen. His death was the first military casualty since President Donald Trump assumed office on January 20.
Owens was a frequent visitor to the Giants spring training in Arizona, and became friends with now-retired pitcher Javier Lopez and a number of other Giants players.
Buster Posey, Hunter Strickland and former Giants reliever Sergio Romo posted condolences to Owens' family on social media following his death.