Do the Right Thing – Seattle Mariners Fan Garrett Mirsky’s Story
We live in an ever-increasing world of “me first.” For one Seattle Mariners fan last week, it was team first.
Baseball fans have a great sense of history. They know what’s important to the game. It’s the reason why Seattle Mariners fan Garrett Mirsky gave the home run ball he caught last Friday night back to the man who hit it, Jarred Kelenic.
For the last two years, MarinersNation waited for the arrival of their next great hero, Jarred Kelenic. One of the top five prospects in the minor leagues, Kelenic finally made his Mariners debut Thursday, May 13. He promptly went 0-for-4.
The next night Kelenic finally did what everyone was waiting for. The rookie cranked a third inning, 1-0 pitch over the fence in the right-center field at T-Mobile Park with a runner on first. It came right at Garrett Mirsky, sitting in the first row. The fan in his teal M’s jersey made a nice bare-handed catch and jumped for joy.
Catch and Release
A prize such as Jarred Kelenic’s first home run ball would be a centerpiece of many sports fan’s personal collections. Garrett could have taken it home and put in a nice case to show his friends. The ball was also worth serious cash.
Someone in the stands offered him $5,000 on the spot, so who knows what it would fetch on eBay? Garrett instead did something selfless; he gave the ball back to the Mariners phenom. While he didn’t ask for anything in return, Garrett received a signed game-used bat and signed jersey from the player and team.
The next day, he explained his reasoning on a Seattle Mariners Facebook group page.
“I’ve been asked numerous times why I didn’t hold onto the ball and sell it. First of all, if it was about the money, I would have sold it to the guy that offered me $5K within minutes of me catching it. But the moment was not about me, it was about Jarred.
I was just lucky to be a part of it and I will hold onto that the rest of my life. It was always his ball no matter the offer, the Mariners gave me the signed (Kelenic) jersey and Jarred gave me one of his game bats signed as a thank you. It was worth it to know he gets to hold onto it and show his kids one day.”
If that doesn’t show someone’s love and appreciation for the game and his team, I don’t know what does. It’s not always easy to do the right thing, but this Seattle Mariners fan did. As many others before me said on social media…
WELL DONE, Garrett Mirsky!
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Please join me in thanking Garret Mirsky in the comments section below or on social media.