Los Angeles, CA – While Los Angeles Dodgers fans cheered after a thrilling victory over the Giants, James Outman lived in a different moment – silent and painful.
That morning, before he went to practice, he got a call from his mother: Frank Delaney, his first baseball coach at Woodland Hills Little League, had died in his sleep at the age of 76.
Delaney was more than just a teacher. He taught Outman how to hold a bat, how to hold on when he was losing, and how to fight when no one believed in him. Over the years, he showed up for practice, even sitting quietly in the stands just to watch his former student grow into an MLB player.
“I don’t hear him from the stands anymore. He always yelled, ‘Slow down, watch the ball, and swing like it’s the last time,'” Outman said through tears.
“Now… I just hear it in my memory.”
Before the game, Outman wrote three words on his wrist in black marker: “For Coach D.”
He said nothing to anyone. But on his decisive homerun in the eighth, he pointed to the sky. Not with pride, but with gratitude.
The Dodgers fan community immediately shared the story. In the stands where Mr. Delaney once sat, a fan hung a black-and-white photo and a simple sign:
“You built him, Coach.”