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Fire Destroys Mission District’s “Double Play” Sports Bar

Longstanding bar steeped in baseball history hopes to rebuild after devastating fire
By - posted 9/25/2022 No Comment

A popular sports bar in San Francisco’s Mission District was heavily damaged in a fire Saturday, September 24, 2022.

The Double Play Bar and Grill, a longstanding bar located at 16th and Bryant streets steeped in baseball history with its proximity to the former site of the old Seals Stadium, burned in the fire. “The Double Play has burned down,” the restaurant wrote on its Facebook page. “Thank you to all the customers that have shared amazing memories here and enjoyed the food … We will be closed until further notice.”

Details about what caused the fire were not immediately available, but the city firefighters’ union, San Francisco Fire Fighters Local 798, also wrote on social media Saturday morning about the blaze.

“This morning a landmark, Double Play, caught on fire. Many firefighters frequented this bar. This is a loss for all in the community,” the union wrote on Twitter. Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who represents the Mission District on the city’s Board of Supervisors, thanked firefighters for stopping the fire before it spread to the building’s upstairs neighbors. Ronen said she will be “reaching out to Double Play to find out how we can help this legacy business.”

If you’d like to donate, a GoFundMe has been set up to help the family-owned business rebuild.

My father Rafael Hernandez Sr. immigrated to the US from Mexico in 1988 with an American dream; to build a better life for his family. He began at the Double Play as a dishwasher in 1988. With hard work and dedication, shortly after became chef. During this time he became like family to the owners since he was dedicated to working 7 days a week and always made sure he had an income to make sure his kids all went to a great school.
In 2009, he officially became the owner along with my mother. The American Dream to him. This was his second home. Over the course of 35 years this place has seen his children grow up, the birth of his grandchildren, and the passing of dear friends. An entire life.
Your donations will be used to help rebuild my family’s dream.

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