Oswald Peraza hit his first MLB home run during Game 1 of Tuesday’s Yankees doubleheader in Texas – and it was a happy ending for two parties.
Peraza, of course, is the first, on the board in the homer column thanks to this shot to left field off Jon Gray:
The other party are the fans who caught it: Braylon Sheffield and his mother, Samantha, who hail from Fort Myers, Florida, and lost quite a large collection of baseball memorabilia when their home was ravaged by Hurricane Ian last week.
"It was a nice highlight to a rough week," Samantha Sheffield told YES Network's Meredith Marakovits after the game. "He jumped in front of me and I didn’t care because I wasn’t prepared, so I’m glad he got it."
"I was excited because I know what it meant; he’s one of the Yankees top prospects and it was his first," Braylon added of the snag.
Yankees security was able to secure the ball for Peraza from the Sheffields, and Braylon got a head start on building a new collection in exchange.
"Peraza signed three balls for us, and we got some of the Rangers' 50th anniversary balls and another from the Rangers," Braylon said. "I'm excited because even though we lost about all that we had, this one today kind of makes up for it, because it’s bigger than any one I’ve had before."
And, perhaps it made a new fan or two, as Samantha - who was clad in a Rangers shirt - noted to Meredith.
"We were just rooting for the home team because he wanted to see the Stadium," Samantha said, "but I think we're converted."
The Sheffields said they're likely staying for Game 2...imagine if Aaron Judge's 62nd comes their way?
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