An 8-year-old Cleveland Indians fan named Niko Lanzarotta and his family got an opportunity to meet their favorite team before a game against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. Lanzarotta, who struggles with cerebral palsy, met catcher Carlos Santana and infielder Jason Kipnis.
Like any 8-year-old kid would, Lanzarotta asked Santana and Kipnis to hit a home run for him. It would have been special if one of his two favorite players came through, but both went yard en route to a 7-2 victory. And that’s not all — the Indians are also 6-0 in games Lanzarotta has attended.
“He must be a good luck charm for us,” Kipnis said, via Eye on Baseball.
Santana said the Lanzarotta family told him he was their favorite player.
“They told me I was their favorite player, and I promised to hit a home run for him,” Santana explained.
The story couldn’t have been written any better. According to Lanzarotta’s father Mike, it was the best day of Niko’s life.
“It was an awesome experience,” he said. “It was the best day of his life. To meet Carlos, to be that close, and for him to hit a home run. … To see your kid that happy is a great thing.”
Kudos to the Indians for arranging the meeting and Kipnis and Santana for giving 110% to make sure Niko had an unforgettable afternoon. If only there were more stories like this throughout the season.
