Beaufort’s Payton Ball, mom experience World Series in Toronto
By Justin Jarrett
LowcoSports.com
It started with a whim, and ended with the World Series experience of a lifetime.
Jenn Ball had no idea where the essay she submitted on her daughter Payton’s behalf would lead — right up until the week before the Beaufort mother-and-daughter combo traveled to Toronto on Major League Baseball’s dime for two unforgettable days at the epicenter of the baseball universe.
Not only were the Balls in the building at Rogers Centre for Game 2 of an all-time great World Series, but they also spent two days in a whirlwind of activity centered around the American Pastime, albeit abroad. Payton played Wiffle Ball with former MLB All-Stars and met one of her sports idols, legendary softball pitcher Jennie Finch.
“Just seeing Jennie Finch in person was so cool. She’s so tall, oh my gosh,” Payton said.
As if that wasn’t enough to leave an 11-year-old, softball-crazed girl starstruck, she also bumped into the Jonas Brothers backstage and estimates she was no more than five feet from her favorite baseball player, the inimitable Shohei Ohtani.
The trip came to fruition when Payton was picked as one of 12 Players of the Month through MLB’s Play Ball program. Jenn came across the contest on social media and put Payton’s name in the hat, submitting the required essay describing Payton’s knowledge and passion for baseball and softball, her encouragement of sportsmanship and fair play, and her description of the importance of youth play and participation.
And Payton made the cut.
It wasn’t until her interview in July with MLB Network’s A.J. Andrews, though, that Payton got the memo that she was going to the World Series — and she and Jenn didn’t know where they would be catching a game until the Toronto Blue Jays took down the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.
“We just watched baseball all the time to figure out where we were going and who we were seeing,” Jenn said.
They knew Game 2 was the one, but had the Mariners prevailed, the Balls would have been headed to Dodger Stadium instead of skipping the country. Payton got her preference.
“Just seeing Canada in person was amazing. Getting to go on the field and seeing Niagara Falls, it was just …,” 11-year-old Payton said before trailing off, unable to find the words to describe an unforgettable week.
On Friday, Oct. 24, Payton and her fellow Players of the Month took part in opening ceremonies and collected their swag before watching Game 1 on television from a conference center. The next day, Payton and her peers took advantage of the MLB World Series Play Ball Camp at the grand opening of the Toronto Mets’ new baseball performance center, having fun and honing their skills alongside the likes of Kevin Pillar, Nick Swisher, CC Sabathia, and Finch. That night, the Balls attended Game 2, witnessing Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s complete-game performance in a 5-1 Dodgers win that evened the series.
When they returned home to watch the rest of the series, their loyalties were split. Payton left town repping the Dodgers and loves Ohtani, but she’s now torn. And Jenn was all-in on the Blue Jays, smitten with a nation’s love for their baseball team.
“I just remember hearing them sing the Canadian anthem, and that is the most beautiful thing. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it now,” Jenn said. “It didn’t matter what you wore, you could have L.A. on or something like that, but you were part of the family. I don’t know, that was just a different experience for me. I met people from all over Canada that saved up their last penny because they said they weren’t missing this, and like their grandmas were there. It was just so cool.”
And none of it would have happened if Jenn hadn’t felt compelled to share Payton’s story and brag on her dedication to being the best softball player she can be, whether it’s in the Beaufort County Parks and Recreation leagues, on the Beaufort all-star team, or on her Beaufort Bombers travel team.
“It’s all about how bad your child wants it and how far you’re willing to go as a parent to support them,” Jenn said. “I think it’s our job as parents to put them in the right positions and then guide them to where the opportunity is.”
Justin Jarrett is the sports editor of The Island News and the founder of LowcoSports.com. He was the sports editor of the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette for 6½ years. He has a passion for sports and community journalism and a questionable sense of humor.
