Yes, Misiorowski also teared up watching that viral interview of young fan after NLCS win
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MILWAUKEE -- Ted Perry started crying. So did the cameraman behind him. And nearly a week later, when Jacob Misiorowski was asked about the moment they captured, the Brewers' ace struggled to find the words.
It was supposed to be a “routine” postgame interview. Instead, it became something none of them will ever forget.
Last Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, as the Brewers celebrated their first National League pennant in 44 years, Perry, a longtime FOX6 Milwaukee reporter, was interviewing fans who had traveled to Los Angeles to witness history.
That's when a father caught his attention.
“Will you come talk to my disabled son?”
Perry obliged. His cameraman, Jake Salzbrunn, followed.
Neither knew what was about to unfold.
The boy was 13-year-old Samson Herman, a lifelong Brewers fan with cerebral palsy who had traveled from the Minneapolis area with his father, David.
Samson couldn't contain his excitement. His Brewers were going to the World Series. And the joy on his face said more than words possibly could.
What viewers couldn't see was that David was holding Samson upright throughout the interview. Perry wrapped an arm around the boy, helping support him as he spoke.
“I was just overcome with the joy of it,” Perry recalled Thursday at World Series Media Day, his voice beginning to crack again. “There's a kid who can't walk. He's never going to play baseball, but he's happy for his heroes who are going to the World Series.”
Perry turned away to wipe his eyes, unaware the camera was still rolling.
He looked back at Samson and told him, “You're my guy.”
Then he stepped away and broke down.
“I went into a photographer's well, and I just started bawling because I was overcome with the emotion of it,” Perry said. “And this very sweet usher from Dodger Stadium came up with a bunch of napkins for me. She could see I was losing it.”
Behind the camera, Salzbrunn was experiencing much the same thing.
A lifelong baseball player who now coaches a travel team, Salzbrunn has seen how the sport brings people together, including families of children with disabilities. Watching Samson celebrate struck a personal chord.
“I was crying behind the camera,” Salzbrunn said. “And what you didn't see behind the camera is, as I'm holding it, I'm getting tapped on my shoulder from the fans that are handing me napkins.”
Strangers in the stands were offering tissues, sharing in a celebration that had suddenly become about something much bigger than baseball.
And Samson and his family didn't even realize their interview had been broadcast live.
When Salzbrunn returned to explain what had happened, their phones began lighting up.
Soon, the clip was everywhere.
Perry and Salzbrunn didn't initially grasp how far their interview had traveled, either. The following day, Salzbrunn was sightseeing in Los Angeles when he called Perry about a camera battery.
Perry had something else to tell him.
“Have you seen our interview?”
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Salzbrunn hadn't. Then he learned Jomboy Media had picked it up and the video was spreading across social media.
But the story didn't end there.
Two Milwaukee-area business owners, Joshua Meyer and Santiago Speranza, were so moved by Samson's reaction that they purchased World Series Game 2 tickets for him and his father. On Saturday, they'll watch the Brewers play on baseball's biggest stage.
And Thursday, the moment came full circle again.
During World Series Media Day, Perry asked Misiorowski about Samson, who had named the hard-throwing right-hander and Jackson Chourio as his favorite players.
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Perry described the interview and asked whether Misiorowski ever stops to consider the impact he has on young fans like Samson.
The question visibly moved the Brewers' ace.
“Yeah, I did, I saw the video,” Misiorowski said, fighting through emotion. “It's honestly incredible just having that effect on people. No, I really don't have words for it.”
For a pitcher whose season has been defined by extraordinary velocity and historic numbers, it was a reminder that some of the most meaningful moments happen far from the mound.
And for Perry, hearing Misiorowski's response nearly brought him to tears again.
“I could see he was choked up by it,” Perry said afterward, “and that got me choked up.”
Three men, nearly a week removed from one unforgettable interview, were still struggling to hold back their emotions.
For Salzbrunn, that's precisely what makes baseball special.
“Baseball is a sport for everybody and brings people together,” he said. “The Brewers are just bringing everybody together. … It's amazing.”
Samson's favorite team is four wins away from its first World Series championship. On Saturday, he'll be there to watch them chase it.
And whatever happens on the field, he's already given the people around him a moment they'll carry long after the final out.