In this competitive world, sportsmanship is still alive and well. At a time when zealous parents can make even children’s games extremely competitive, two Little League players showed that humanity should still reign in sports.
Little League players from opposing clubs displayed their outstanding character and demonstrated that kindness and compassion should still be the norm, despite tough competitions.
Two Little League World Series players had a heartwarming exchange following a difficult initial encounter.
Kaiden Shelton, Pearland, Texas Little League pitcher threw the pitch that struck Oklahoma National Little League batters Isaiah (Zay) JarvisOn the right side of his helmet.
Jarvis was thrown to the ground and landed on his head. In a slow-motion review of the Little League game, the impact was most likely extremely painful since it basically knocked off Jarvis’ helmet.
It was a frightening moment for both the players and their families. Even sports commentators said that they were frequently struck or struck by baseballs during their time as athletes, but not in the head.
Jarvis was able play in spite of the incident. However, Shelton, a young pitcher, was visibly shaken after hitting a batter. He was clearly upset about the thought of injuring a fellow baseball player.
Shelton looked so depressed that Jarvis moved to first base to console the pitcher.
Jarvis was concerned Jarvis might have suffered from a concussion when he was struck. Jarvis was also worried that he would be out of the game for the rest. He saw Shelton struggling to keep his cool and continued to play on the mound moments later.
Jarvis called for a timeout and approached Jarvis to encourage him. He told Shelton, “Hey, you’re doing just great.”
Shelton recalled the moment and said, “I thought he was really hurt, but when he started walking up to me… it looked like he was better, but I thought he was going to throw a punch or something like that.
He hugged me and it made me feel a lot better about myself at that moment.” He added that Jarvis told him to “‘just throw strikes and take deep breaths.’”
At their age, the two boys embodied caring and compassion – the pitcher was so troubled that he had caused undue harm, and the victim, knowing that it was all an accident, showed his willingness to set aside competition to provide comfort and reassurance.
Jarvis said, “I wanted to go up there because we’re pretty good friends… so I went up there and I gave him a hug. We’re all brothers… baseball, it’s just a game.”
People were impressed by the interaction, and praised the kindness of the Little League players. One view commented, “Both of these boys are what your children should aspire to be like.”
Another added, “One willing to forgive and knows it wasn’t intentional and the other showing remorse and sorrow. It is a wonderful thing.!!”
You can see the emotion exchange here.
It was still a Little League game after all, and after regaining his composure, Shelton contributed to his team’s performance with two hits, two runs batted in and one run that he scored himself.
The six-inning game was won by Pearland Little League, 9-4. This sent the Texas 12-and-under team as the Southwest’s representative to the Little League World Series.
This amazing moment shows that sports are not all about winning. It was just another Little League Game. But, people will probably remember this particular event for the pure moments of camaraderie that were rare in a sport.
