5-year-old fan with big dreams returns Holliday's first HR ball

After 20-year-old Jackson Holliday became the youngest player in Orioles/Browns franchise history to hit a grand slam -- while doing it in his first MLB game since April 23, to boot -- his day wasn’t done quite yet.

The next mission? Go track down that ball.

"I believe that some kid got it,” Holliday said in a press conference after the game, in reference to his first career home run ball. “So hopefully, I’ll be able to get that back from him and maybe give him something in return."

Fortunately, that part wasn’t so difficult.

After the game, Holliday was able to track down the ball’s recipient, a 5-year-old Maryland native named Wyatt Sartwell, and his father, Tim. Wyatt gladly gave Holliday his home run ball, and in return, Holliday provided the youngster with an autographed, game-used (though not in this specific game) bat.

“I appreciate you guys being easy about it,” Holliday told the father-son duo.

“If he ever gets that opportunity, I’d hope he gets his ball back, just as a dad,” Tim said, before turning to Wyatt. “One day, if you get that chance, that’d be cool.”

Wyatt had only one question of his own for Holliday after thanking the rookie for meeting him: "How'd the Gatorade feel?"

"Cold," Holliday said without skipping a beat. "Really cold."

While the Sartwell family has enjoyed its 15 minutes of fame, such fame didn't come without a little bit of luck and a little bit of hard work. On Thursday, Tim revealed to MLB.com that he and his son's seats weren't even particularly near the Eutaw Street area where the ball landed, but Wyatt tends to enjoy watching games from that area of the field, leading to an all-time "right place, right time" moment.

As for the hard work?

"My knees and elbows are still messed up," said Tim, who compared the experience to being at the bottom of a pile after a fumble in a football game. "It was a madhouse, with everyone trying to get to the ball, or ask if they could hold it. For a minute there, I even lost sight of Wyatt -- that was a little scary."

After securing the recovery of the metaphorical fumble, Tim and Wyatt were quickly approached by Orioles security, who informed them that Holliday would be interested in getting the ball after the game's conclusion. This was no issue for the family.

"I never wanted to keep that ball -- I know how hard Jackson worked to get to that point," Tim said. "And the Orioles were nothing but gracious the whole day. [Beyond Holliday's bat,] we also got a signed pack of trading cards that included a Jackson Holliday rookie card -- who knows what that might be worth one day?"

As a matter of fact, "rookie" might even be an understatement for Holliday, as Tim reflected on after the fact.

"When I first met him in the clubhouse, I called him 'Sir,' but then I looked at him and realized that he's closer in age to my son than to me," Tim said. "It's funny -- you grow up most of your lives with these professional athletes being way older than you, until you end up meeting one."

After the exchange with Holliday, Tim and Wyatt have had a whirlwind past 24 hours, being featured everywhere from the likes of local radio to a national ESPN broadcast (and, of course, MLB.com). While Tim hasn't had much of a chance to breathe between interviews, he's made sure to savor every moment.

"I wouldn't call this a dream come true, because no one really dreams of this specific event. But this past day has been the experience of a lifetime, one that we'll remember forever."