Nine-year-old Derek Rodriguez, named by his father after Derek Jeter, went viral on Tuesday night when he broke out in tears of gratitude after a generous fan gifted him Judge’s home run ball.
Before Wednesday’s series finale, Derek got to meet his hero, and his eyes welled up once again as he shook hands and hug Judge in the Yankee dugout.
Derek told reporters on the field that he brought the ball to school on Wednesday to show his classmates, while Mime Lanzilotta, who gifted him the ball immediately after catching it, was on the field as well. He was given a signed jersey from George Springer for his kindness.
Not a bad 24 hours for young Derek!
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