“Baseball is a game for fathers and sons,” someone once said.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw learned that again tonight when he got up to leave his All-Star Game press conference and a member of the media told him, “Clayton, I think there’s a kid trying to ask you [something].”
“Oh dude, I’m sorry,” Kershaw said as 10-year-old Blake Grice approached him. “What do i have?”
Grice, who according to Fox11’s Geraud Moncuré came to the news conference because he “has a media Instagram,” approached the Dodgers legend and told him a story about his grandfather, Graham, who died of brain cancer seven years ago.
In front of the assembled media, Grice told Kershaw that when his grandfather was sick, he made a list with his two grandsons of all the things they would do together after beating cancer: go to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, meet Vin Scully .
That included a meeting with Kershaw. But a week after they wrote the list, Graham died. Since then, Grice told Kershaw, his family has tried to do everything on the list.
“My grandpa loved you,” Blake told Kershaw as she fought back tears. “He was looking at 1988 [World] Series and he wanted to meet you and Vin Scully one day. So this moment is important to me because I’m meeting you because of it.
At that point, Kershaw — who has four children, three of them boys — came out from behind the podium and said, “Come here, dude, nice to meet you,” hugging Grice as he did so. “Thanks for telling me. That took a lot of courage for you to tell me. Nice to meet you. Your grandfather sounded like a great guy. Thanks for coming.”
After they talked a bit and took pictures, Grice gave Kershaw a big hug and then ran back to her father, who was waiting for him at the back of the room.
Watch it below.
Clayton Kershaw thought his press conference was over when he was surprised by a 10-year-old.
The child’s grandfather made a bucket list. On this list: meet Clayton Kershaw. This has never happened. He died of cancer. But today, Blake Grice met Kershaw. He feels his papa with him. pic.twitter.com/K5KGcd5ozO
— Steve Saldivar (@stevesaldivar) July 20, 2022
Add Comment