Lastly, we asked Gutierrez to touch on his legacy and the example he set for the younger players. I do appreciate my dad telling me things I need to hear.” She’s the best mom a boy could hope to have.

“My mom does everything her kids need and is always putting us first. “Both of my parents have contributed to my life in many ways and I love that my little brother is involved in things I do,” Justin said. His dad, Raul Gutierrez, is someone he credits with pushing Justin to be the best version of himself. Gutierrez unabashedly acknowledged, and rightfully so, that his mother, Lorena Espinoza, is Justin’s biggest fan and best friend. Justin said one of the few upsides to this pandemic is the ability to spend quality time with his 11-year old brother, Jayden. He’s also watched a ton of Netflix and playing modern warfare. These days, Gutierrez works out, does cardio and throws into a net in his backyard.

He trusted his defense to make plays behind him. Gutierrez also believes he matured as a pitcher in that he didn’t have to strike out every batter. We all worked so hard to be prepared for the season and it just got wiped out.” “What made this so devastating to me was not being able to finish out the season with my guys, because we all got along so well and felt like this was going to be a really big year for PHS baseball. Gutierrez was second in average, hits and doubles and was third best in RBIs for PHS this season. 381, with eight hits, three runs scored, six RBIs, three doubles, and a. Gutierrez had also gone from using two pitches in 2019 to four in 2020, and his velocity and mechanics continued to improve as well.Īt the plate, though, is where Gutierrez surprised many. He walked 13 and struck out 18 in 20 innings. Nine games in, though, a pandemic ruined his steep ascension as both a pitcher and hitter.įor the shortened season, Gutierrez was 1-2 on the mound with a pair of saves and a 1.75 ERA. Over the summer, Gutierrez spent a lot of time perfecting his craft and getting ready for what looked to be a very solid 2020 season for himself and the Bulldogs program. He walked 23 and fanned 52 batters over his 55 1/3 innings of work. In 2019, Gutierrez finished 4-2, with a 2.40 ERA and registered two saves in closing out a pair of wins for the Bulldogs. I was so thankful to Hugo that I gave him a kiss on the head.” Hugo dove, got up, launched a strong throw to first, and got him by a step and a half. “And then, with a 3-and-1 count, a Glendale batter hit a grounder between third and shortstop. “The second out was line drive up the middle that Hugo Escobedo reached out for, turned a 360 and then threw to first base in time,” he said. The first was a fly ball to right field, and then shortstop Hugo Escobedo saved the day twice. He can distinctly recall each of the three outs in the seventh inning. He faced one over the minimum and his one walk kept Gutierrez from throwing a perfect game.

The PHS right-hander threw a no-hitter and struck out eight in a 2-0 Pacific League victory over the Nitros. Gutierrez scattered a couple hits that day, and Pasadena headed home with a 6-0 victory.Īs impressive as his varsity career started on February 19, it was an April 12th home game against Glendale that put Gutierrez on the map.

“I had butterflies in my stomach and I wasn’t 100-percent confident, but I just went out there and competed, and I was very happy with the results.” “Coach Parisi told me to go to the dugout and get myself together,” Gutierrez said. Gutierrez didn’t get his first varsity start until the third game of his junior year.Īnd on the way to Temple City, PHS coach Mike Parisi hadn’t made the final decision as to who would get the start.īeing the prepared athlete that he is, Gutierrez stepped up big time when Parisi gave him the nod. In fact, at different times this year, he played all three outfield positions. He still held the role of ace, but he was now an everyday guy, who contributed with both his bat and glove in the PHS outfield. It was also because in 2020, Gutierrez had gone from PO (pitcher only) to the second best hitter in the Bulldogs’ lineup. Justin Gutierrez was ‘heart broken’ when COVID-19 cut his high school baseball career short.Īnd it wasn’t just because he wanted to finish out the final two-thirds of his senior season.