Rapid City Elementary School student Payton Pickering recently received a special surprise from his favorite baseball team.
Pickering has been battling leukemia since April, and the Detroit Tigers wanted to help make his dreams come true.
Pickering is a big fan of baseball and the Tigers, so Detroit pitcher Buck Farmer and catcher Austin Romine joined Pickering on a Zoom call to help teach him some of the fundamentals of baseball.
Farmer and Romine surprised Pickering with several gifts, including the opportunity to attend a Tigers game and meet the team face-to-face on the field at Comerica Park.
“When it’s all safe, when we’re done with this thing going on right now which everyone’s dealing with, which is horrible, as soon as that’s done, the Tigers, Buck and I would love for you to come out to the stadium with your family,” Romine said during the Zoom call. “We can get you guys to a game. Definitely get you down to the field. You can meet some of the players, meet up face to face. I’m sure we can make that happen in some way. We’d love to see you guys.”