Young's heart with hometown of Houston
TORONTO -- Red Sox outfielder Chris Young is in Toronto with his team for a three-game series, but his heart is very much with his family and friends in his hometown of Houston, which is dealing with the severe effects of Hurricane Harvey.
"It's hard," said Young, who graduated from Bellaire High School in Houston. "I wish I could be there with my family right now just to help them out. A lot of my family has been evacuated from their homes, electricity out. They're finding safe places to go to, to try to wait this out and see what happens, but it's just tough out there right now. All I can do is see the video and the pictures and all that. You just hope everybody's all right."
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Young has kept in constant contact with his parents since the storm hit over the weekend.
"Oh yeah, phones are working fine. I'm able to talk to my parents. My mom was evacuated from her home," said Young. "My sister's electricity is out. Everybody's being able to find safe places to go. So, that's all that's really important. They're safe.
"Everybody in my family, that I know of, is safe and sound right now. Personal belongings and stuff, that stuff is just stuff. It's not important. As long as they're safe and healthy and out of danger."
Young donated to a fund started by Houston Texans star linebacker J.J. Watt that had raised over $500,000 by Monday for those impacted by the storm.
As much as the outfielder is focusing on his job with the Red Sox, he admitted that it's not easy at the moment.
"I mean, when you step on the field, you're able to get away for a second. I'm talking to my family every hour," said Young. "They're keeping me in the loop, and they're assuring me that they're safe and for me not to worry, but you can't help but worry, especially when you're so far away. You just can't do anything to help. It [is tough], but at the same time, you can't do much about it."