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The moment meant more to Astros third baseman Alex Bregman than anything that could have happened in the game later that night. Brady Columbus, Bregman's 9-year-old godson, reared back and threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Bregman amid the cheers of a Tuesday crowd prior to Houston's game against the Angels.
Brady, the middle son of Jason and Tish Columbus' three boys, had never even been to Minute Maid Park to watch Bregman play until last year. The bright lights and loud noises don't always make a ballpark the most comfortable place for a child with autism. But Tuesday was Autism Awareness Night at Minute Maid Park, and Brady was center stage.
"It's going to be a special day," Bregman said. "Super excited to have Brady out here at the game. He loves coming here to Minute Maid Park and he's been practicing for his first pitch for quite some time now. He's excited and I'm looking forward to it."
Brady has been an inspiration to Bregman for years and he considers the Columbus family as part of his family. Bregman wrote "Thank you, Brady" on the patch he wore on the shoulder of his uniform during Players' Weekend in 2017-18. Bregman and Brady sat behind home plate in March and watched LSU -- Bregman's alma mater -- play at Minute Maid Park.
"He definitely enjoys going to baseball games, watching his brother, Bryant, play," Bregman said. "I actually got to see his swing and his awesome leg kick with him hitting off the tee in the backyard. I know he's been practicing with his dad and mom playing catch. He's excited for the first pitch. He's a little nervous, but a lot of kids at his school today were cheering him on and saying, 'Let's go, Brady!' They were all wearing Astros-Brady shirts."
Brady was born when Bregman was a freshman at LSU, but it wasn't until he was 3 years old that Brady was diagnosed with autism. Jason Columbus, like Bregman, is from New Mexico and played for one year at LSU. While he was a hitting instructor at Albuquerque Baseball Academy, Bregman would fly from Baton Rouge, La., to New Mexico when he was struggling at the plate. And when Bregman was called up by the Astros in 2016, he hired Columbus to be his full-time hitting coach.
In 2019, Jason and Tish decided to move to Houston to live year-round to make it easier on the family and allow Bregman round-the-clock access to Jason's expertise. And he gets to see Brady more often, too.
"He's made a difference in all our lives, just the impact he's been able to have on us," Bregman said. "His impact has been able to affect so many and help so many kids in their lives."
Bregman, through his Bregman Cares Charity, hopes to open a school for kids with autism. The charity recently received a $1 million donation towards that goal, but that's only 10 percent of the cost needed. All the proceeds of the 50/50 raffle charity during Tuesday night's game went to the Jackie Robinson Foundation and Bregman Cares.
"We're trying to take our foundation to the next level," Bregman said.
