Brotherly Love, Big Moment

Salvador Perez always seems to put a smile on faces. I’ve covered him longer than any other athlete in my career, dating back to his rookie season in 2011, and I witnessed it again in Philadelphia. Only this time, it was an opposing fan who put the smile on his face.

Salvador Perez always smiling

In a world with so much dissension, I witnessed a moment in Philadelphia that truly warmed the heart.

A Phillies fan named Jerry Book caught Salvy’s 300th home run ball. Instead of holding on to it for a large fee, he simply asked to meet Salvy with his family. He told me he loved the game too much to ask for more. In tough Philly, of all places, that kind gesture stood out. 

My post about it went viral with over 100,000 views on X and thousands more on Instagram.  It reminded me that people crave kindness in these divisive times. 

Salvy, blown away by the humility, gave Jerry and his family more than they expected: a jersey, batting gloves, helmet, and bat. With a laugh, Salvy said to me:

“Best Philly fan ever.”

Later, Jerry wrote to me:
“I thought it was cool how so many people responded so positively. Our world does need more mention of these normal good things that happen. PS: still a Phils fan for life but I’ll be a Salvy fan forever now too.”

In business and in life, we face the same choice Jerry did: make it a transaction, or make it a connection. One creates friction. The other builds trust.

That’s Small Ball.

Question: Where in your world can you trade “what’s in it for me?” for “how can I make this meaningful?”

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