One Last Game For Dad: Youth Baseball League Stages Game For Terminally Ill Father

11 Sep, 2015 by Greg Campbell

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In a sad, yet touching, story, a boy and his teammates began their baseball season early so that the father of the pitcher will have the opportunity to see his son play ball.

The fall baseball season isn’t supposed to start until next week, but one Prattville, Alabama little league team made sure their starting pitcher and his father had the game of a lifetime.

It’s Ryan Parrish’s first time on the pitching mound. The 11-year-old is hoping for “just strikes,” he said.

Sadly, Ryan’s first game of the season could be his dad’s last opportunity to watch his son play ball.

“Over the summer we found out my dad had cancer,” said Ryan, choking back tears.

Ryan’s dad, Gary, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and metastasis to the liver in June.

“He played last year, and Gary was at every game,” said the boy’s grandfather, Roy Parrish. “And this will probably be his only game, so it means his life actually to come see the game.”

Folks, as trite as it may sound, please cherish your loved ones. You never know when they might be gone.