CINCINNATI (AP) – A young cancer patient got quite a souvenir when Reds star Joey Votto hit a home run. A couple of them, in fact.
After Votto rounded the bases in the seventh inning during a 7-2 win over the Mets on Thursday, he waved to 6-year-old Walter Herbert , who was sitting in the front row near the Cincinnati dugout and wearing a blue shirt that said: “BE KIND.”
Votto high-fived the boy, then gave him a bat and a red No. 19 jersey while the game went on.
“We did not expect that,” Walter’s mom, Emily, said in an interview with The Associated Press after the game. “We thought he’d say hi when he recognized him. We were very surprised he went all out.”
Votto declined to talk about his gesture after the game. Told that the family was thrilled, Votto said, “Well, that’s what’s important.”