GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Ask 11-year-old Damon Horton to name his favorite baseball player and he will tell you it’s the Yankees’ Aaron Judge.
Horton wears No. 99 on his travel baseball team for the outfielder, who has a knack for hitting home runs. What Horton accomplished in one of his games last week would surely impress Judge.
Horton knocked out not one, not two, but four home runs in one game.
“It was like I didn’t know I was about to hit four. But I hit a home run, ran around the bases,” Horton said. “It was fun having them cheer me on.”
The loudest cheers didn’t come from Horton’s teammates in dugout but from his parents Damon Horton, Sr. and Dr. Yovanda Horton.
“We know he enjoys the game but to see him play it like that. He truly has a gift. He loves this game and plays it to the best of his ability,” his mother said.
Damon’s father said the first two home runs were remarkable because his son had never done that before in a game. The third and fourth home runs were unbelievable to the family.
“The fourth one, I was actually hollering loud at the beginning but after that, I started crying. The joy of seeing your child excel. I was overwhelmed with joy,” he said.
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Excelling on the field must be a sibling trait. Damon’s sister Kennedy just made Brookwood High School varsity softball team as a freshman.
The siblings like to compete with each other but the support is just as important.
“I’m very proud. It’s unreal to see him hit over the fence multiple. It’s something that most players can’t accomplish in their lifetime,” Kennedy said.
All of the home runs Damon hit that day were special, but the fourth one was made even more memorable because of when he knocked it out of the park.
“As he hit his home runs, his mom was able to write the time and date on the balls. He was born at 6:25 p.m. and on the fourth ball it shows hit it out of the park at 6:25 p.m.”
Horton’s parents said Damon has overcome a lot in his life especially after he was diagnosed with epilepsy in the first grade. His diagnosis hasn’t kept the 11-year-old from playing the game he loves.
“He has had to learn how to master the art of his diagnosis coupled with his love for the game. He has done exceptionally well,” Yovanda said. “He remains very cognitive of what will trigger a seizure and what he needs to do to manage that in case one happens.”
Only 17 players in Major League Baseball have hit four home runs in a game. Horton would like to add his name to that list one day or do something bigger in his next game.
“Hitting five home runs!”