LA Dodgers centerfielder Joc Pederson surprised a group of Special Olympics athletes who thought they were just getting a tour of the field. Kim Baldonado reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 28, 2017.
Meeting Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder, Joc Pederson, was a dream come true Friday morning for a group of Special Olympics softball players.
Pederson and his brother, Champ, a former Special Olympics athlete, surprised the players and their parents, who were expecting only a brief tour of Dodger Stadium.
The brothers instead led the visitors on a private tour and baseball drills on the field, with Pederson signing baseballs for his fans.
The brothers also surprised the players and their families with tickets to the Dodgers game Friday evening, where one lucky player will throw out the first pitch.
"I'm glad we're bringing awareness to this and making it a big thing and bringing them to the stadium so they can see what it's like," Pederson said. "It's a really cool experience for them."
The athletes, some of whom will be competing in Seattle next summer in the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, were excited to share their love of the game with Pederson.
"We look at the abilities we have not the disabilities that we are labeled with so just treat us like normal people and we'll become your best friends," one athlete said.
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The VIP experience was organized by Bank of America as part of their MLB Memory Bank Program.
