Cleveland Indians step up, show support for teammate and his daughter
May 27, 2015, 11:33 AM | Updated: 11:33 am
Teammates are supposed to be there for each other, but what the Cleveland Indians are doing takes the concept to a completely different level.
As reported by Cleveland.com, four-year-old Adriana Aviles was diagnosed with leukemia in early May.
Adriana is the daughter of Indians second baseman Mike Aviles, and in a show of support, his teammates are shaving their heads.
“It’s a team thing,” second baseman Jason Kipnis said. “It started with Mike’s daughter because of what she’s going through. Unfortunately, she’s going to be losing her hair soon from chemotherapy and we all wanted to join in.”
Apparently the gesture began with a couple of players who were then joined by the rest of the team as well as members of the coaching staff.
Aviles missed eight games from May 8 to May 17 after his daughter’s diagnoses, but has since returned to the team.
“Mike is one of the best clubhouse guys there is in this entire league,” Kipnis added. “He’s been a great person and a great teammate. I think all the guys have done a good job of stepping up to make him feel welcomed and back at home and that nothing has changed.
“Numerous guys have told him that if he needs anything at anytime that they’ll be there for him. I think baseball has been a good distraction for him.”
