ATLANTA — The Braves and Phillies are rivals on the diamond, but the love of baseball connects the teams and their fans.
Nothing displayed that better than the sign of sportsmanship between a young Phillies fan and Braves fan this weekend.
During Friday night’s home opener at Truist Park, the reigning MVP Freddie Freeman crushed a home run. Joshua, a Phillies fan, ended up with the ball after a couple of tries and some teasing from his dad.
Instead of keeping it or throwing it back though, Joshua decided to share it with a young Braves fan wearing a Freeman jersey. It’s a moment that touched everyone’s hearts, especially Freeman’s.
So before Sunday night’s game, Freeman decided to surprise Joshua and his dad, with a baseball not only autographed by him, but by Phillies star Bryce Harper as well.
Friday: @iamjamesscott1 and his son Joshua gave their @FreddieFreeman5 home run ball to a Braves fan.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 11, 2021
Tonight: Freddie surprised Joshua with a baseball autographed by both Freddie and @bryceharper3! pic.twitter.com/N9ciuOzHbq
VIDEO: @Phillies fan tries to catch @FreddieFreeman5 home run ball (he misses it, but gets it back eventually.)
— Alison Mastrangelo (@AlisonWSB) April 10, 2021
Instead of keeping it, he gives it to a @Braves fan wearing a Freeman Jersey in the stands!
MVP move #ForTheA #MLB pic.twitter.com/3IuA541CRo
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It wasn’t the only father-son moment from the weekend series against the Phillies that is sure to make you smile.
A father flew thousands of miles from Guatemala to Atlanta with his 5-year-old son, so they could watch his favorite player outfielder Ronald Acuña, Jr. on Friday.
Acuña also crushed a home run that night and the young fan had the best reaction. The moment is even more special after the Braves superstar saw the video and responded on Sunday afternoon.
“This is the part of the game that I love the most! Thank you and the little one for the video and I hope I can bring more moments like this!” Acuña said.
This is the part of the game that I love the most! Thank you and the little one for the video and I hope I can bring more moments like this! 🙏🏾 https://t.co/SZHpO0mUAc
— Ronald Acuna Jr (@ronaldacunajr24) April 11, 2021
But Acuna didn’t stop there. He invited the father and son to speak with him before Sunday night’s game.
On Friday, this 5-year-old @ronaldacunajr24 fan from Guatemala saw his idol hit a home run.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 12, 2021
Tonight, he met him! https://t.co/UG94tryLZc pic.twitter.com/GIVSj6S3hR
Atlanta is looking to avenge last weekend’s sweep as they go for a sweep of their own against Philadelphia on Sunday night.