We dare you to watch without tearing up: In an awwww-inspiring video making headlines since it happened last week, a high school pitcher strikes out the final batter to advance to the state championships—and then immediately runs over to hug the batter, who is his friend, rather than celebrating with the rest of his team. "We are very close friends," senior Ty Koehn of Mounds View High School tells BMTN. "I knew him from all the way back when we were 13. We were on the same little league team. It was tough when we went to separate schools but we kept in touch."
He knew there was a possibility it would be the last play of the game, and that if his team clinched victory in that moment, "I had to say something. Our friendship is more important than just the silly outcome of a game. I had to make sure he knew that before we celebrated." The batter, Totino-Grace High School's Jack Kocon, recalls Koehn's words to CBS Minnesota: "He said 'This isn’t on you. You played great the entire game. Keep your head up. You’re such a great player.'" He adds that in 20 years, "I’m not gonna remember the score of that game. But I’m gonna remember (Koehn) coming up to me after that and just kind of being there for me when I needed someone." (More uplifting news stories.)
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