MLB

Ex-Rangers coach Larry Hardy ready to help lead Republican baseball team after shooting

A.J. Perez
USA TODAY

Larry Hardy has spent his life in baseball, first as a major league player and coach, followed by his current position with Major League Baseball as an umpire observer. Hardy was helping coach the Republican congressional team at Wednesday morning's practice when a gunman opened fire, wounding five people.

In the hours after Hardy emerged from a dugout - where he huddled with about a dozen others during the shooting - he told USA TODAY Sports that he was conflicted about whether Thursday’s charity game should take place.

“On one side, you tell yourself that this game needs to be played,” Hardy said in a phone interview on Thursday. “On the other side, you know what happened to one of the congressmen, who was really hurt, and a (lobbyist) is in really critical condition. Congressman (Roger) Williams was hurt. His aide was shot. You think to yourself, ‘Is this game really that important?'”

Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., was critically injured. Capitol Hill police officers Crystal Griner and David Bailey, House staff aide Zach Barth and Tyson Foods lobbyist Matt Mika were also wounded. The gunman, James Hodgkinson of Belleville, Ill., died from gunshot wounds suffered when officers returned fire.

Hardy, who pitched three seasons in the majors with the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros, ultimately agreed with the decision to play, and he will help coach the team at 7 tonight at Nationals Park.

“The more I got to thinking about it, I said, ‘This game needs to played,’” Hardy said. “It will have an intense atmosphere, but there will be a positive side to it. We can push aside our political thoughts and beliefs."

Hardy first became involved in the game two years ago, when Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, asked him to help coach the Republicans. Hardy had known Williams for years, and the two became close when Hardy served as a bench coach and bullpen coach for the Rangers between 1995 and 2001. Williams was a friend of then-Rangers president Tom Schieffer.

Hardy and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., were standing alongside the batting cage when the first shot rang out Wednesday.

“I knew it wasn’t a firecracker,” Hardy said. “It sounded more like a backfire from a vehicle because it was so loud and you could feel the percussion. Congressman Fleischmann and I froze. Then we heard two or three more. Everybody started hollering.”

Hardy, 69, and Fleischmann dropped to the field, behind a tarp that ran along the bottom of the batting cage.

“We were facing toward the third-base bleachers, and you could see the rifle in his hands with the barrel pointed down,” Hardy said. “Congressman Fleischmann saw the same thing. I am not sure we said, if anything, to one another, but we both began to scramble -- on our stomachs -- to the first-base dugout and down the steps.”

A terrifying thought hit Hardy after he reached the dugout, where about 10 others also took cover.

“Once we got into the dugout, we couldn’t see anything,” Hardy said. “All we could hear was the shooting. I thought, how long will it take for the shooter to get over here? There’s only one gate in, so he’d have to climb the fence or shoot through it.’”

That’s when the officers' voices rang out. Hardy heard them order the shooter to put the gun down, followed by several gunshots.

“You could hear the difference between his rifle and the pistols (used by the officers),” Hardy said. ”It wasn’t too long after that we were told it was all clear.”

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