Puerto Rico – José Berríos had already led his team onto the field at Estadio Roberto Clemente Walker on Saturday afternoon for the beginning of his first-ever celebrity softball game. Then, a loud roar off to the left of the home dugout shifted his focus. The noise was produced by a group of kids leaning over the wall down the left field line who conjured up a plan to catch the Blue Jays right-hander’s attention by belting out a “Berríos!” chant in unison.
It worked. Just moments away from first pitch, Berríos delayed the game’s start to acknowledge the effort by making his way over for autographs. About a minute into the impromptu session, a young boy donning a red T-shirt and red St. Louis Cardinals hat handed Berríos a baseball. As he signed, the boy tapped Berríos’ right hand.
“I have something I want to share with you,” the boy told Berríos in Spanish. “I’ve watched you pitch so I can learn.”
Berríos locked eyes with the boy.
“You like [baseball]? You like it a lot?,” Berríos asked, to which the boy nodded. Berríos then asked him “Do you have confidence in yourself?” Again, the boy nodded.
“That’s all you need,” Berríos told him. “Every day, learn something new.”
That exchange exemplifies what Berríos aims to achieve through his La Makina Foundation, which focuses on helping the youth of Puerto Rico achieve its dreams through sports, education and health. That’s why Berríos made it a point to get as many kids out to the ballpark as possible by allowing free admission to the first 2,000 kids who showed up with a parent or relative. The island certainly came out to support. Over 5,000 fans were in attendance, with thousands forming a line that wrapped around the entire outfield wall hours before the gates opened.
Source: https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/news/