DALLAS, TEXAS — In the line of people leaving the evacuation center in Irving last week, an 11-year-old boy named Mateo was interviewed by an NBC reporter for saying:
“I don’t need a house. I just want to see Uncle James hit balls again.”
The image of Mateo — disheveled hair, bare feet, clutching a ball that had drifted from a flooded field — went viral. But few knew it would touch the heart of James Outman, the Dodgers’ promising young outfielder.
Three days later, a package arrived at the shelter: a No. 33 Dodgers jersey, real playing cleats (with red Texas mud on them), a handwritten letter, and… a ticket inviting Mateo to Dodger Stadium whenever he was ready.
“Mateo, I saw you on the news. I was a kid with a ball and a hope. If you still have hope — you’re stronger than I was.”
Outman’s letter.
No signature, no credit requested. Just a line at the end:
“P.S. This shirt hasn’t been washed — it’s still dusty from the win over the Rockies. Keep it, it has a little magic.”
When photos of Mateo holding the jersey went viral, the Dodgers locker room fell silent. Manager Dave Roberts would only say:
“James didn’t tell anybody. He just acted like the person we’ve always believed he was.”
Mateo is now living with another family, unable to return home. But every night, he holds the jersey, scented with the scent of turf, next to him. “I don’t know when I’ll be in LA … but I’m definitely coming,” he said.
James Outman didn’t send money. He didn’t send fancy gifts. He sent the one thing a boy who’s lost everything could possibly need most: a piece of his spirit, an affirmation that someone sees him — and believes he’s worthy of getting back up.
In a season filled with pressure, James Outman may not have set a home run record … but he just hit the most important home run of his life — one that touched the heart of a child amid the rubble.