Tim Fletcher Obituary: A Father’s Unwavering Support for His Baseball Champion Sons

Tim Fletcher always made it a point to be present for every moment in his sons’ lives. As the father of David Fletcher, an infielder for the Los Angeles Angels, and Dominic Fletcher, an outfielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks, he made an effort to watch them play either at the ballpark or on TV.

In 2018, Tim traveled to Seattle to witness David’s debut in the major leagues. The following week, he journeyed to Omaha to watch Dominic, who was still playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks, participate in the College World Series. To catch both of his sons’ games while in Omaha, Tim found a quiet spot in an empty section of seats beyond the outfield wall. He obtained the stadium’s WiFi password from a staff member, allowing him to watch Dominic play in person while keeping up with David’s big league journey.

Throughout the years, Tim took immense pride in David and Dominic’s accomplishments. “I’m incredibly proud of them, and I’m not just referring to their baseball achievements,” Tim expressed last year after both David and Dominic were selected to represent Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. Unfortunately, Tim passed away unexpectedly earlier this month. Consequently, David and Dominic, playing against each other at the major league level for the first time, had to face the game without one of their most devoted fans.

“I think it would have been an exciting day for him,” David shared prior to the game. “He was very proud of both of us. He got to see us both play in the major leagues… I always play with him in mind, but today, this series will be a little different as I get to play against Dom.”

Dominic echoed these sentiments, saying, “Every night, he would turn on the TV and have both of our games playing simultaneously. It would have been one of his favorite things to be able to watch us here.”

During the first game of the three-game series between the Angels and the Diamondbacks, David went 0 for 2 while Dominic went 1 for 4. Although they played in the presence of their childhood friends and family, including their mother Fernanda, the absence of their father weighed heavily on their hearts.

The Fletchers grew up in Cypress, with David and Dominic briefly playing on the same high school team at Cypress High. They reunited as teammates once again when they represented Team Italy in March. In the previous season, David had a rehab assignment in Triple-A and faced off against Dominic in a game between the Salt Lake Bees and the Reno Aces. David was later sent back to Triple-A in mid-April, giving him the opportunity to play against Dominic and the Aces until Dominic made his big league debut at the end of that month. Dominic, however, was optioned back to Triple-A at the end of May.

David’s contract was recently selected again by the Angels, amidst several infield moves that included acquiring Eduardo Escobar and sending Jared Walsh and Michael Stefanic to Triple-A. On the other hand, Dominic was recalled by the Diamondbacks on Thursday, as they brought up two outfielders due to star player Corbin Carroll nursing a shoulder injury.

The fortuitousness of David and Dominic being able to play against each other in the major leagues, in a stadium they both grew up watching baseball games in, amid such a tragic loss, was not lost on anyone.

“It’s a family tragedy, but for them to come together like this, it feels like it was meant to be,” remarked Angels manager Phil Nevin.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo also acknowledged the significance of the moment, stating, “They’ve been through a lot over the past couple of weeks. To have them on the same field at the same time, I think there was some divine intervention somewhere along the way.”