CHARACTER COUNTS

Former Deer Valley star Khris Davis makes kid’s day with jersey signing

Aug 21, 2018, 10:24 AM

It’s not everyday you get to meet your favorite baseball player.

It’s even far less likely to sign said player’s jersey.

Well, for 10-year-old Anthony Slocumb, anything is possible.

After battling a rare cancer called Langerhans cell histiocytosis and beating it, Slocumb went with a group of kids from the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Greater Bay Area chapter to an Oakland A’s game against the Texas Rangers.

That’s where he got to meet his idol before the game.

“I was down there with the other kids and then two other players came down and then he came down,” Slocumb told The Associated Press after the game. “So, I was like, ‘You’re my favorite player’ and he was like, ‘Cool.’”

But the exchange didn’t end there.

“‘Sure, do you want to sign mine, too?’” Davis said to Slocumb. “And I was like, ‘Sure,’ so we basically signed each other’s jerseys. That’s what happened.”

Slocumb’s mojo clearly rubbed off on the six-year pro.

In the third inning, Davis roped an estimated 438-foot solo bomb, extending the Athletics’ lead over the Texas Rangers.

And while it was Davis’ 37th homer of the year, three off of what could be his third straight 40-homer season, there was only one thing on his mind.

“I thought about him around the bases. There’s not a better feeling than hitting a home run, so hopefully he got some excitement and joy from watching that,” Davis said. “They’re really the stars. … He was excited.

“I could tell that he was just happy to be here and wanted to have some fun. It was amazing, the look on his face.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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