Hunter Pence's latest birthday was much different than the 36 that came before it. For most of his adult life, Pence has spent the day on a baseball field, but on Monday he was at home and took part in a huge call organized by his wife, Alexis. About 30 of their family members and friends called in and sang to Pence as he watched on an assortment of phones, iPads and laptops.
The Pences, as you might expect, are trying to make the most of this unexpected break from being at ballparks. Hunter is still working out every day and trying to keep his unique swing in shape, but he also is taking advantage of the free time to dive into passions that usually take up much of his offseason.
Pence has been active in the eSports scene in recent weeks, and he is representing the Giants in Major League Baseball's "MLB: The Show" season that's playing out now. On Tuesday night, Pence will participate in Verizon's "Pay It Forward Live" stream, playing "League of Legends" with professional gamer Tanner Damonte.
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When approached with the opportunity, Pence was thrilled to find out that Damonte, a 22-year-old from the East Bay, is a Giants fan. But sometimes it's the longtime Giant who is the bigger fan when he gets put together with gamers.
"I'm pretty sure I'm more excited to be playing with them," Pence said Tuesday. "I get super locked in to the competition, I absolutely love it. 'League of Legends' is one of my favorite eSports to watch. I'm not that great at playing so I'm actually thrilled to get this opportunity to try to learn from one of the masters.
"The whole thing, it's something I love to do, and it's for just an absolute amazing cause."
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The cause hit close to home for Pence, who is a co-owner of a Houston coffee shop, Coral Sword, that is game themed. The stream will raise money for small businesses affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19), with Verizon donating $10 whenever the hashtag #PayItForwardLIVE is used.
Coral Sword shifted to a to-go only model on March 17 and Pence said the experience has been an eyeopener. While the coffee shop has the backing of someone who has made tens of millions playing baseball, Pence said it has shown him how disruptive something like COVID-19 can be to small businesses.
"It's a gutshot to put a lot of work -- and I have several partners who grind hard for that place to be an enjoyable place for the customers and for the community -- and it felt like it just really makes it very difficult to stay afloat as a company, regardless of my baseball career and having that kind of stuff to back it and support it," he said. "It's not possible in times like this to shut down. Experiencing it firsthand what this business is going through, I can see how powerful and how big of an impact this is having on all of the other small business owners. It dismantles your business. It's really difficult times."
[RELATED: Watch Pence miss walk-off on glitch playing MLB The Show]
For more from Pence on his love of gaming, how he's passing the time without baseball, and how he continues to train for a season, you can stream The Giants Insider Podcast located above.