A 10 year old boy from Kent County was chosen by the Phillies to throw out the first pitch after he survived a car crash while riding his motorbike in September. NBC10 Delaware Bureau reporter Tim Furlong has his story.
A Phillies-themed pep rally at Nemours Children's Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday showed how the patients and staff are ready to get the season cooking.
"It's really cool to see the kids and smiles on their faces and when that big green guy shows up everything is wonderful," former Phillies player and coach Milt Thompson said.
It's true that the big green guy, the Phanatic, always does bring the fun and makes everything wonderful. At Wednesday's pep rally there were cupcakes, popcorn, hot dogs, cookies, ice cream, the Ball Girls and autographs from Phillies legends.
Also at the pep rally? A very special patient at Nemours who was chosen to throw the first pitch at the home opener on Monday: 10-year-old Briar Jones.
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"I'm nervous and excited," Briar said.
You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but a car going 45 miles per hour crashed into him on his motorbike near his Harrington, Kent County, home on September 18, 2024.
Briar broke a leg, his collarbone, had multiple punctures and the skin was ripped from his leg.
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"I feel like we are very lucky he is still here with us," Briar's dad, Mike, said. "Him going from all busted up, not sure what was going to happen, to now he's going to be throwing out the first pitch. It's a pretty exciting deal."
Minutes after the crash, Briar was taken by helicopter to the hospital and went right into surgery.
The ER surgeon who helped Briar got some love at Wednesday's pep rally too.
"Most of the time children have no fault in what happens to them and they also have a great capacity to recover and so it is very rewarding to take him from that big bad event and back to getting back to everything he loves and enjoys doing," Nemours trauma surgeon Dr. Duane Duke said.
Now, Briar just needs to go out there on Monday and throw the heater to Brandon Marsh. After all he's been through, we think the first pitch will be a breeze.
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