After an Oakland A’s fan tweeted about having coronavirus, the front office reached out to him about throwing out the first pitch.
What started out as a rough week turned much better for one Oakland A’s fan. A fan named Justin tweeted out on Monday that he had the coronavirus, stating that he thought his symptoms were just allergies or a cold before becoming increasingly worse. In his tweet showing him in a hospital bed, his A’s fandom was apparent from the cap on his head in his selfie.
This tweet eventually reached the A’s front office, getting the attention of A’s president Dave Kaval. In responce to Justin’s tweet, Kaval made an impressive offer – to throw out the first pitch for the A’s on Opening Day.
Get well soon! The whole @Athletics nation is sending you positive thoughts. How is your arm? Would be honored to have you throw out the first pitch opening day! https://t.co/rpmC3v9mgz
— Dave Kaval (@DaveKaval) March 17, 2020
This is not Kaval’s first responce to the pandemic. On Monday, the A’s had announced that they would be making a $100,000 donation to the Alameda County Community Food Bank, helping the local citizens as they try to wait out the virus and stop it from spreading.
There is a lot that still needs to happen before that pitch can be thrown. The pandemic will need to slow down, allowing crowds to actually gather. Major League Baseball will need to reopen spring training, allowing players to get back into shape. And, a date still needs to be set for Opening Day.
Even more important, Justin needs to get better. While he stated that he is a generally healthy person, the coronavirus is still something that is not fully understood. Scientists around the planet are working on finding treatments and possible vaccines, which will hopefully come to fruition soon.
When that happens, baseball will be back. Fans everywhere will have that sense of normality, that all is right in the universe once again. The sun will shine, the birds will sing, and the smell of the ballpark will intoxicate us. Those days are coming.
And when they do, the Oakland A’s have a special treat for one of their fans battling the coronavirus. Throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day is one hell of an incentive to get better.