This past summer, we were watching Little League Baseball on ESPN when a special young man immediately caught our eye, but not necessarily for his baseball skills. Cam Zerbato, playing for Pittsfield Little League in Massachusetts, stepped up to the plate with a heartbreaking quote on the screen: "My dad is my role model. He passed away 9 months ago. Things are tough because he has coaches me in baseball since I was a baby, teaching me how to get better. He would love to be here today at the Regionals watching me play."
David "Zip" Zerbato passed away on October 14th, 2017, at the young age of 50.
At first, we started out by just connecting with the family. Matt had the idea of reaching out to his mom, Sherry Zerbato, on Facebook, and Patrick connected with her soon after. We learned that Cam has a loving, supportive older brother named Zack. After messaging back and forth with Sherry for a few weeks, we knew we had to do more. This family deserved something special.
After learning more about the family, we started to put together a care package for them. We included mini baseball bats with special quotes on them in memory of their father. They are also huge Yankeees fans, and we found out Zack is a Gleyber Torres fan, while Cam loves Aaron Judge. We found some gear for them: a Torres hoodie and shirt for Zack, and a Judge hoodie and shirt for Cam. The Yankees were playing the Athletics in the American League Wild Card game in a few weeks, and we knew how much these boys would love to experience a playoff game in Yankee Stadium. We hooked Sherry, Zack, and Cam up with 3 tickets!
Since Matt was drafted by the White Sox, we came up with an idea that seemed crazy, but we had a feeling about it. We sent this info to someone with the White Sox with the hopes of connecting with the Yankees. After a few days, Patrick got a call from New York. It was the Yankees. They informed Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge of this story, and each of them autographed a bat, personalized to Zack and Cam. The Yankees also offered to put a special message on the big screen, welcoming them to the game and remembering their father, David.
As you can see, these boys deserved something special. Just like our dad, theirs meant everything to them. We receiving amazing support when we lost both of our parents, so we knew something had to be done for the Zerbato Family. They loved their care package and the Yankees game. Zack and Cam are amazing kids, and as you can see in the picture, they put on their November Smile!
Scroll down to see Cam's quote, items in their care package, and photos from their experience at the Yankees vs Athletics playoff game!