Todd Frazier Homered At The Request Of A Batboy With Down Syndrome

Heartwarming news has certainly been in short supply this week, but a baseball game in Cincinnati last night provided us with some—and in a way that only adds to the growing legend of Reds third baseman Todd Frazier.

Teddy Kremer is a 30-year-old man with Down Syndrome, and he developed a bond with the Reds last summer, when he took a turn as the team's batboy. Last night, Teddy again got to be the batboy, which meant he again brought his boundless enthusiasm into the Reds' dugout. Only this time, Teddy also made a special request of Frazier:

“He’s so funny, he said, ‘C’mon, hit me a home run, I love you.’ I said, ‘I love you too, I’ll hit you one,’” Frazier recalled.

In the bottom of the sixth, with the Reds already well on their way to an 11-1 win over (who else?) the Marlins, Frazier stepped in against John Maine. And sure enough, Frazier launched an 0-1 pitch over the wall in center field for a home run. A giddy Teddy was there to greet him at home plate. Teddy was so thrilled and got so caught up in the celebration he forgot to pick up Frazier's bat.

More Frazier, per the :

“It was great how excited — that look,” Frazier said. “I started smiling even before I hit home plate because I knew it. ... You can’t get mad—even if you have a terrible day. How can you be mad when you’ve got a guy like that around?”

After a week of such awful news, do yourself a favor and watch this video of Frazier's homer and Teddy's reaction.

[ Cincinnati Enquirer]

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