Zachary, who had long been bothered by a bite of metal, was told by his parents on Friday that he could leave fifth grade early because he had an orthodontist appointment to have his braces removed. The shaggy-haired 10-year-old thought he would be out of the chair in time to watch Game 1 of the World Series on TV.
After all, Zachary had worn Dodgers gear to school, drawing from a wardrobe of several jerseys bearing the name of his favorite player, Freddie Freeman.
So when his dad picked him up and – surprise! – showed him tickets in the right field pavilion and headed straight to Chavez Ravine, Zachary was beyond excited. They met his mother at Echo Park for pre-game tacos at Guisados and were quickly settled into their seats.
But Zachary’s elation was nothing compared to what he felt in the bottom of the 10th inning, when Freeman’s game-winning grand slam came straight his way.
“When he hit the ball, we knew it was leaving the park, but we had no idea we were going to catch it.” Zachary told NBC News. “The ball bounced on the chair in front of us and rolled a little on the ground. Then I got it.”
Read more: Plaschke: In a year that was so unlikely, Freddie Freeman becomes Kirk Gibson
Fans in the surrounding seats were happy for Zachary, a die-hard fan who keeps a scorebook at games. And which games: He was there when Fernando Valenzuela’s No. 34 retired in 2023, and this year he was there on opening day, Clayton Kershaw’s bobblehead night and the Game 1s of the National League division and championship series .
“Everyone wanted to see the ball,” he said. Everyone wanted to take a picture with me. I was just harassed.”
Kudos to the Dodgers faithful that no one tried to snatch the ball out of his hands.
“He had tears of joy streaming down his face and a big smile,” said Zachary’s father, Nico Ruderman, whose family lives in Venice. “He probably had his picture taken with a hundred different fans. Everyone was super excited about it. Even Yankees fans high-fived him. It was surreal.”
Read more: Freddie Freeman makes history with walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series
The next morning Zachary left early on a business trip with his mother Anne. He was wearing a Dodgers T-shirt and a flight attendant asked him if he had seen the walk-off home run.
“Yes,” Zachary replied, “I understand.”
The flight attendant jumped on the plane’s public address system and announced Zachary’s large fortune to the other passengers. “I stood up in my seat and everyone cheered,” he said.
Needless to say, the entire episode feels like a dream, but Zachary has one last wish: he’d like to have the ball signed by Freeman.
Read more: Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball sells for a record $4.4 million. Who gets the money?
And in the end, no one could blame him for at least considering selling it. The ball hit Freeman’s teammate, Shohei Ohtani, into the seats and made him the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season which sold at auction for $4.4 million.
That would more than cover the orthodontic bill.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
