Make-A-Wish kids receive All-Star treatment in Arlington

ARLINGTON -- Steven T. might’ve been wearing a Mookie Betts Dodgers road jersey, but he couldn’t help running after Mariners prospect Harry Ford for an autograph on Friday night. A self-described MLB The Show aficionado, the 16-year-old from Bell Gardens, Calif., has played as Ford in the popular video game.

What a memorable way for Steven and four others -- Steven L. (11) from Troy, Ill.; Tyler S. (17) from Park Ridge, Ill.; Devan H. (15) from Demarest, N.J.; and Holden S. (11) from Toronto -- to kick off All-Star festivities as the guests of honor at the Make-A-Wish welcome reception.

Each year, Make-A-Wish grants wishes for children with critical illnesses. These wishes give kids the emotional and physical strength needed to fight their medical condition. Since 1980, Major League Baseball and its clubs have worked with Make-A-Wish to grant wishes for children, donate tickets and raise money for local chapters.

“I didn't know what else to choose, and I feel like baseball is what I love the most,” Steven T. said. “Anything else wouldn't have been as cool as this.”

But this is just the beginning. The five kids and their families will receive VIP treatment at Capital One All-Star Village & PLAY BALL Park and the MLB Draft. They will watch all All-Star events from a suite at Globe Life Field, including Saturday’s All-Star Futures Game featuring Ford.

Mariner Moose and Rangers Captain helped Ford and Nationals prospect Brady House hand out a customized Louisville Slugger bat, a cowboy hat with the All-Star Game logo and a Nike backpack with the Rangers logo to each kid. Their families also received a swag bag filled with caps, a water bottle, a baseball, an All-Star-themed shirt and more.

Then it came time to mingle some more. Steven L. briefly swapped his Cardinals cap for Rangers Captain’s oversized Texas hat. Holden spent time with Ford comparing the hair of his favorite player, Bo Bichette, to his own. House chatted with Tyler, who proudly wore a Cubs jersey and cap.

“It's really amazing because it just kind of puts it back in perspective for me that someone's one wish was to go watch players play baseball and dream about playing there,” Ford said. “I'm living that out getting to play. I'm so glad that I get a chance to just talk with these guys who love baseball so much and kind of put a smile on their faces any way I can.”

Steven T., who was diagnosed with cancer in eighth grade, is in remission. Baseball is more than just an outlet for him and his family. He has been playing since he was 6. His older brother, Bryan, competes at the JUCO level.

After Steven finished chemotherapy, he asked his parents, Griselda and Ynez, if he could play football. Though he stuck with it for a while, he gravitated back to baseball and has been the center fielder on the Bell Gardens varsity team in his first two years of high school.

Baseball also plays an important role in Devan’s family. He and his older brother, Avi, once competed against each other in a youth All-Star game. And while they try to attend a couple of games at Yankee Stadium every season, their mother, Nisha, proudly recalls her kids being thrown baseballs during batting practice at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

“We have kids who are huge baseball fans,” said Taylor da Costa, Make-A-Wish sports relations manager. “They use baseball as a way to get through their treatment. They look up to all of the players and use their strength as motivation to get through treatment. A lot of them are baseball players themselves, so when they're told they can wish for anything, it's an MLB experience.”

Following Friday night’s reception, the families mingled in the lobby before heading out together for the HBCU Swingman Classic as part of their jam-packed itinerary.

“I can tell you personally my favorite part is by the end all of [this], the Make-A-Wish youth will be like brothers,” said April Brown, MLB’s senior vice president of social responsibility. “You see how with each day they bond together more and more. And by the end of the time together, there's hugs among all of the families, and really, that's the most special part.”