BALTIMORE -- When Crystal Silins was chosen as the Orioles' Honorary Bat Girl, she knew it came with certain perks, like throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. What Silins, a breast cancer survivor, didn't know, was that she would get to warm up with right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman, who hand-picked Silins from the finalist group and ensured she had an unforgettable Mother's Day.
"There's no topping this," said an ecstatic Silins, who received game tickets and plenty of pink Orioles gear.
A resident of Norfolk, Va., Silins grew up in Fairfield, Pa., and endured a bilateral mastectomy, more than a year of various chemotherapy treatments, six weeks of radiation and nine surgeries after being diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2013.