Teen from hurricane-hit Florida catches HR, meets Yankees

By JEFF MILLER
Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A mother-son trip to a major league game for a Florida family in need of diversion after their home was hit by Hurricane Ian turned into much more on Tuesday afternoon. Samantha Sheffield and 14-year-old son Braylon were sitting in their left-field seats at the Texas Rangers’ ballpark when New York Yankees rookie Oswald Peraza hit a long drive in their direction. Braylon made the the catch on Peraza’s first big league homer. The Sheffields met with Peraza after New York’s 5-4 win and received some signed baseballs and tickets to a future Yankees game in Arlington, Texas. The damage to the Sheffields’ home during Hurricane Ian was relatively minor compared to others in their neighborhood. But flooding in their garage ruined Braylon’s collection of approximately 400 baseballs.