ALTADENA, Calif. — Darrell Gay, or “Coach D.” as he’s also known, loves baseball. It’s the crack of the bat, the click of the cleats, the slap of the ball hitting the leather of a glove. It’s groomed grass, fresh dirt, cracked pepper sunflower seeds, and the umpire’s guttural call on strike three.

Coach D. is the founder of First to Third Baseball Company, a youth baseball training organization representing how “home matters on and off the field.”

“When I look at home plate, I look at life. You start at home [plate] then get to first, then second, then third, and we hope we don’t get cut short... eventually you go all the way around in life and you score.” 

What You Need To Know

  • Coach D. is a military veteran who served honorably in the army for three years

  • He attended John Muir High School in Pasadena

  • First to Third Baseball Company focuses on helping boys and girls ages four to 14 develop fundamental baseball skills

He began his organization after noticing a lack of appreciation and skill in his community’s youth baseball training landscape.

Coach D.’s goal is to re-establish athletes’ confidence, wisdom and love for the game. His trainings focus on young baseball players — boys and girls ages 4 to 14 — helping them better develop their skill sets and the fundamental lessons of the sport before entering the world of competitive high school baseball and softball.

Coach D. looks forward to the continued development of the athletes he trains. He strives to bring back the respect and reputation for baseball training to the city he calls home.