Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton and the Baltimore Orioles turned a negative into a positive on Wednesday.
The All-Star took action after a fan complaint went viral, complaining that their son received an autographed ball from his favorite player, Buxton, but it was stolen from him in the stands of the Baltimore Orioles. Camden yards:
Hands down one of the worst baseball game experiences of my life last night. Camden was autograph hunting and was fortunate to have his favorite Twins player, Byron Buxton, autograph his ball. As the ball is handed back to him by the usher, someone else grabs it and runs off. He is immediately in tears and inconsolable as soon as I walk up to him from our seats. Fortunately, chicken dishes and pizza helped ease the pain, but of course when we got to the parking garage he started crying again.
As the complaint circulated, Buxton replied to a fan account promising to “make it right.”
I hope to see you today or meet you someday! We will make it right! I have got you!
— Buck (@OfficialBuck103) April 17, 2024
A few hours later, the young fan’s family sat in the front row and Twins reporter Audra Martin presented him with not only a new autographed ball, but also autographed batting gloves and a bat. Martin later said on X that she only asked Buxton for another signed ball and he responded with the extras.
The seats were reportedly a gift from the Orioles, who also wanted to help.
As the fan’s father told Martin:
“The generosity of the Baltimore Orioles to see that something has gone wrong, even while cheering for the other team, and just to give that generosity is absolutely amazing.
“It’s amazing. We tried not to make a big deal out of it because sometimes things happen and it just went around. I’m so happy that a negative day turned into something positive for him.”
The Orioles would defeat the Twins 4-2 in that game.
