LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One mother was honored at a Louisville Bats game after her son's letter touched the heartstrings of the team's vice president.
Ty Westerman called his mother Sara a "survivor" in his letter asking the Louisville Bats if she could throw the first pitch on Mother's Day.
"Hi my name is Ty. I'm writing to you because my mom battled brest (sic) cancer this year," the letter read. "I would like for her to throw out the first pitch."
Westerman said he came up with the idea while at a Bats game with his father. Knowing how much his mom loved going to his baseball games, he wanted to surprise her with the chance to be celebrated on an even bigger stage.
"I was just thinking about how my mom had breast cancer...and she likes to go and watch some of my baseball games so I thought it would be fun for her to throw out the first pitch," Westerman said.
His dad helped him write and send the letter to the Bats, where he found a unexpected connection with a Bats vice president. The vice president wrote back, telling Westerman about how his wife was also a survivor.
On Mother's Day, Westerman surprised his mother with the news, and on the day of the pitch, the little league pitcher was right there with her — giving her a pep talk before her big moment.
"My dad said to give her an inspirational speech before she throws out the first pitch," Westerman said, "and it bounced like two time and she came back and said, 'Your speech was great.'"
Westerman said his mom is doing well, but they actually had to change the original date for the pitch because of her upcoming shoulder surgery.
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