BALTIMORE — Christopher DiSalvo is a 4-foot-4 center fielder obsessed with baseball. He lives on Long Island, New York, but he saw his idol from his seat in Section 48, Row 21, Number 4 at Camden Yards. Jose Altuve came into the on-deck circle and heard DiSalvo call his shots.
“I asked him, ‘If I hit a home run, can you give me the bat?'” DiSalvo said.
Altuve smashed the second pitch 382 feet into the right-field seats, gave the dugout a much-needed high-five, and gave 11-year-old Disalvo a memory he’ll never forget. Altuve called Disalvo out of his seat, gave him a fist bump, and presented him with the orange bat he’d just used.
“Oh my God,” DiSalvo said later, still clutching the bat. “It was the happiest moment of my life.”
(Photo: Chandler Rome/The Athletic)
Stadium officials escorted DiSalvo, his father Chris Sr., and a Little League teammate to the concourse at Camden Yards, where they verified the bat’s authenticity and kept it for the final seven innings of Baltimore’s 7-5 win.
“Obviously the last few days have been a little tough for me. I haven’t been feeling great at the plate,” said Altuve, who had just six extra-base hits in his previous 30 games.
“It was a big deal to me that he called out ‘home run’ and I actually hit it. I was happy, probably happier than he was. All I could do was give him my bat.”
On the concourse, Chris Sr. clutched his son’s Orioles cap as he yelled at Altuve. That loyalty didn’t mean much to Altuve, but it resonated with Chris Sr., who gained a new level of respect for a player who is still booed in most stadiums.
Chris Sr. is coaching his son’s Little League team, which is participating in the Ripken Experience tournament in Baltimore and is scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday.
Seeing all 30 Major League Baseball parks has always been on our family’s bucket list, so it was only natural that we checked one off the list by attending the Friday night game.
In the third, Chris Jr. came down the steps from his spot to the on-deck circle, where he called Altuve’s shot. Before Chris Jr. could return upstairs to his spot, Altuve called him back and threw his bat.
“I was in the bathroom,” Chris Sr. later said. “I didn’t even see it. I came back and said, ‘Are you kidding me?'”
Neither father nor son have ever been to Camden Yards. Chris Jr. has been a New York Mets fan since birth, but now he is drawn to specific players rather than the entire team. Elly De La Cruz fascinates him. So does Jonathan India.
“But I like this guy because he’s short,” said Chris Sr., who stands 5 feet 6 inches tall. “Good things come in small packages.”
“It’s always nice to see young guys want to play like you and the rest of the team,” Altuve said. “At the end of the day, we play for the fans and to inspire young guys to get to the majors and get better every day.”
Altuve is one of the most generous players in the Astros clubhouse, whether it be signing endless autographs during batting practice before games or taking the occasional selfie with enthusiastic fans. He maintains that same friendliness whether he’s at home or away, beloved by the Minute Maid Park crowd or reviled by many others.
“The guy is a total gentleman,” Chris Sr. said. “He’s a baseball fan. I coach these guys, and that’s the true sportsmanship. No matter what the kid wears, if he has love for the game, he just respects the game. I teach them to respect the game. When he goes out on the field, he gives it his all, just like he does every time.”
Chris Jr. is scheduled to play right field for the team in Saturday’s doubleheader. Chris Sr. said “one of the best teams in the country” awaits them.
“But we came here for the experience,” he said.
Altuve turned it into something people will remember forever.
“What happened tonight is the highlight, that’s it,” said Houston manager Joe Espada, whose team lost the game by giving up five runs in the eighth inning.
“It’s about a good guy who does good things for people and the humility he shows. That kid hit a home run, (Altuve) hit a home run, that kid picked up the bat. We’re going to send that kid to college after that. Jose is a really good guy, and that goes beyond what he does on the field.”
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(Photo: Tommy Gilligan/USA Today)
