“We are all brothers”

It was the hug that captivated us. Made us tear up and we should all learn from it. It happened on a Little League baseball field in the heat of the Southwest Regional final playoff for a trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. Kaiden Shelton was pitching for the Texas team against a team from Oklahoma. With a two strike count on Oklahoma’s Isaiah Jarvis, the most frightening moment in baseball happened. The pitch was high and hit Isaiah on the ear flap of his helmet. He went down clutching his head as his helmet flew off. There was the horrified  gasp in the crowd and then the moment of silence as everyone prayed Isaiah would get up. The umpire bent down and the coaches ran out. After a few seconds, Isaiah sat up. The coaches helped him to his feet. He seemed to be fine and trotted down to first base as the crowd cheered in relief.

Kaiden took a couple of steps toward the plate and watched in stunned silence. As Isaiah got to first base, he could see Kaiden’s head was down and he had tears in his eyes. Isaiah slowly started walking toward the mound. As you watched, you weren’t sure what was going to happen. Then the boy who just escaped what could have been a serious injury or worse, hugged the boy who threw the pitch he never wanted to throw. Two young boys hugging in the middle of the diamond exchanging quiet words. One showing compassion and empathy for his friend at his worst moment. The crowd cheered and cried. Kaiden’s coach and teammates gathered around the two boys. After a few seconds, Isaiah slipped away and returned to first base.

After the game the two boys were interviewed. They both seemed to be sitting in the back of their SUVs. Kaiden said, “I thought he was like really hurt. When he started walking up to me, he looked like he was going to throw a punch or something, but he hugged me and made me feel a lot better about myself at that moment. He hugged me and said, ‘Just throw strikes and take deeper breaths.’”

Isaiah, with his yellow tinted sun glasses perched on the bill of his cap, just like the major leaguers wear it, said, “I wanted to go up there. We’re pretty good friends. So I went up there and gave him a hug. We’re all brothers. It’s just a game.”

In a summer of much bad news, these young boys and all their teammates showed us a better America. They hustle on and off the field. They quickly trot back to the dugout when they strike out. No slamming of bats. They cheer each other on. Major Leaguers should take a lesson from these young boys. How many times would a batter hit by a pitch charge the mound and then there would be the retaliatory hit back by the opposing pitcher? These boys are living out that dream that so many kids have at that tender age of twelve. They are at the cusp of innocence going into those teenage years when life will get more complicated.

When I was playing at their age, there was no hugging in baseball. But maybe we should learn to do a little more hugging. Kaiden’s Texas team won the game 9-4 and is going on to the World Series. But only those players and their families will remember that. We should remember when a young boy told us, “We are all brothers” and showed us by example.