Toddler's intro to cotton candy charms all

ARLINGTON -- The annual Texas Rangers Family Day took place on Sunday at Globe Life Field. Family Day is a time for Rangers players and staff’s family to gather on the field, take Wiffle ball batting practice and just have a good time.

Rangers pitcher Jharel Cotton’s family -- his wife, Emma, and 19-month old daughter, Zola -- came down from Detroit for the occasion and got an even bigger surprise: a viral TikTok video.

The 30-second video features Zola learning what cotton candy is for the very first time, first thinking it was just a fluffy toy and hesitating to eat it.

“Her expression was priceless,” Cotton said. “Her expression, everything, it's infectious. It's amazing. When they come to the game, it's like a different energy that they bring so much. Having them around, I love it.”

Cotton said he was shocked that the video, which now has almost 800,000 likes and 3.5 million views on TikTok, was gaining so much traction. The account @MeettheCottons has 76.2k followers on the app.

Cotton mentioned after his season debut on July 30 -- which was his first Major League appearance since 2017 with the A’s -- that both his wife and daughter helped him with the mental side of the game as he worked to get back to the big leagues.

“I’ve got another human being I’ve got to take care of,” Cotton said. “I’ve got to take care of her, and I want to give her the world. I want to be a role model for her, as well. So just having that in my head like it’s making me want it more and more.”