Team Wins! Jonathan Influenced

Jonathan's baseball team won the regional championship this season.  What an achievement!.  When Jonathan started, all Javier and I could think of was "Will he fit in?  Will the coach tell us that he cannot play?  Will he learn?"  We did not tell the coach that Jonathan was autism.  We were scared every time we went to see him practice.  He sometimes was absentminded.  He ran without energy most of the time and played with the clay instead of paying attention.  It drove me crazy.  Until the day the coach started screaming at other kids for being absentminded and not paying attention and sent an email to all the parents telling us to feed the kids before practice and games.  Then I realized that it wasn't just Jonathan. He was behaving just like the other kids.  Only 4 out of the 12 kids really were into the game.  However, the coach they had this year was outstanding and was able to keep the kids in check.  Out of 12 games, they lost 1 and tied 1.  They were the best in every level!

Jonathan earned 3 game balls this season.  The coach told us that he was the kid that improved the most (he had never played so we were and still are very proud).

The last baseball game of the season

We were so stressed.  Jonathan's team was losing 5 to 2.  We all thought that it was the end.  Jonathan had a fight with one of the kids in the bullpen because he told the kid that they were losing and the kid screamed at him that they were not.  That he had to be positive and the game is not over until it is over.  Jonathan was shocked by that reaction and cried. But composed himself.

They were in the bottom of the 5th and last inning.  Jonathan was the first to bat.  We all thought that Jonathan was going to get punched out.  The pitcher kid made 2 strikes and for sure the next one was going to punch him out.  But something happened and Jonathan hit the ball that the kid pitched at him.  It was good enough to let him run to first base. He ran as fast as he could and celebrated and jumped up and down feeling extremely proud of what he had just done.  He set the tone for the rest of the team.  He was the last one in the batting line, so the next ones were all the best players.  Jonathan stole the second base and when the next kid batted, he ran to third.  He ran to home when the following kid hit the next ball.  He scored and the smile on his face was priceless!!  His team won 6 to 5 in the bottom of the 5th inning.  THE GAME IS NOT OVER UNTIL IT IS OVER!!!