New York Yankees catcher Jose Trevino reached out to a heartbroken high school team to offer words of encouragement after a viral mistake.
Jose Trevino and the New York Yankees are rolling right now. New York is the hottest team in baseball, chipping away at Baltimore and Tampa Bay’s lead in the AL East standings.
While Trevino and the Yanks are focused on the task at hand, the catcher found the time to reach out to the Hornell High School baseball team after their state championship loss went viral.
His heartwarming gesture is a strong reminder of why we love sports.
Yankees catcher offers words of encouragement to high school team after brutal defeat
Hornell High School was one pitch away from glory in the New York State championship — and then it happened. Their pitcher struck out the final batter, leaving a run stranded in the bottom of the final inning and securing the 5-4 victory for Hornell.
While the team celebrated, however, the opposition wasn’t hanging its head in defeat. In fact, their runners were rounding the bases — and both scored. As it turned out, Hornell’s catcher dropped the third strike. Rather than throwing the runner out at first to secure the win, he began celebrating with his pitcher and the rest of the team.
It’s hard to imagine a more brutal way to lose — especially if you’re the catcher.
Trevino, who won Gold Glove behind the plate last season, can clearly empathize. He reached out to the Hornell team for a 35-minute conversation, and he even exchanged numbers with the catcher. After that, he invited the whole team out to a Yankees game with VIP seats and a chance to meet the players.
While the sting of defeat will linger for Hornell, there’s more to life than the outcome of a baseball game. One has to imagine the group experience of going to a Yankees game and meeting all the players will be just as memorable.
Good on Trevino for finding the time between games and practices to offer his support and provide some joy for kids who were undoubtedly feeling bitter. That’s what you want out of professional athletes — the humility to use their platform to elevate spirits.