Los Angeles, California – At a press conference that seemed to circle the on-field forums, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts couldn’t contain his emotions as he shared the news: His little girl is expected to be terminally ill.
“I’m an athlete. I’ve faced 100-bpm fastballs. But nothing… nothing has ever made me feel as helpless as when the doctor told me about her condition.”
— Mookie Betts, in tears.
At the end of Friday’s practice, Coach Dave Roberts abruptly pulled Betts from the Milwaukee starting lineup. Many thought it was a reoccurring wrist injury. But no. That’s because he had just flown overnight from a Boston children’s hospital, where his 7-year-old daughter was fighting for her life.
A person who agreed to share his name said:
“We knew he was going through something really hard. But he still came out and played hard. Until today… when his heart couldn’t take it anymore.”
While the medical team was doing everything they could to keep hope alive, Betts revealed in the report:
“She asked me today, ‘Are you going to cry if I don’t wake up tomorrow?’… I couldn’t say anything. I just held her, and we were both silent.”
At this point, Betts had withdrawn from the entire schedule, and the Dodgers were ecstatic. “Family comes first,” the team wrote in a brief statement.
When the video of Betts crying hit the big screen at halftime, the fans stood up, no one said anything – just a long, tearful applause. A sea of people chanted “We Fight With You #50”.
Many fans left handwritten letters, teddy bears and messages at Betts’ Los Angeles home gate, turning the street into a silent prayer for the little angel.
Mookie Betts – the name associated with MVP titles, with fateful homeruns and super catches – is no longer a superstar, no longer a Dodgers icon.
He is just a man standing in the middle of a storm, holding his little daughter and praying for a color to be allowed.
“I will not miss a second of being there, even if it is the last… If I have to choose between the World Series and one more hug from her – I don’t have to think about it.”
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Betts’ story not only sent shockwaves through the basketball world, but also served as a reminder that sometimes, even the strongest of men need a hug.