Going, going, gone: Nine-year-old runs on field to get autograph

By: Kaitlyn Kuzara

Picture courtesy of Stacey Woock

TORONTO, O.N. – Rain poured down on the Rogers Centre Sunday, Sept. 15 as super fans Lucas Morgan Luder and mother Stacey Woock filed into the roaring stadium.

With an hour to go before the New York Yankees faced the Toronto Blue Jays, Luder and Woock made their way to their club-level seats behind the pitcher’s mound, Section 221, Row 8. Once settled, Woock got up to use the restroom, leaving her son under the watchful eye of her boyfriend until she returned.

Upon returning not three minutes later, she watched in horror, mouth gaping wide, as her boyfriend ran frantically down the stairs and onto the field after her nine-year-old son, making a beeline straight for Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.

Bolting past Yankee and Blue Jays players alike, Luder didn’t care, his goal was to get to number 99.

The presence of the little boy was enough to stop the rest of the players from warming up and watch in shock at the boy on a mission, a mission to meet his idol and get his autograph.

“Well … this is a first,” Judge chuckled as he looked down at the grinning boy.

“May I have your autograph, sir?” Luder asked.

Judge smiled and signed Luder’s ball, asking the young boy if he played baseball himself, still chuckling at the scene that had just played out.

“Baseball is his life,” said Niagara University marketing professor and mother, Stacey Woock. “He has been playing on a travel team for some time now as well.”

The security guards came along shortly after this interaction but instead of forcing Luder back to his seat or even kicking him out, they laughed along and allowed the little boy to stay with the two time All-Star outfielder, for a while longer.

With a grin that brought sunshine through the rain, the little boy went back to his mother, ordered a Shirley Temple and proceeded to watch the game, never once letting go of his favorite baseball.

“This is the best day of my life.” Luder said. Luder was able to see Judge hit a home run that day, but the Yankees lost to the Blue Jays by a score of 6-4.