Eric Rojas could not stop crying.
They were tears of happiness, his mother said, from the moment the 8-year-old met Victor Martinez, to minutes after, watching Martinez taking batting practice before Saturday’s game against the Twins.
Four years ago, as he battled Hodgkins Lymphoma as an 4-year-old, Rojas made a wish: He wanted to meet his favorite baseball player.
“Basically ever since he started following the Tigers,” his father, Eric Sr., said. “He’s loved the Tigers and followed them very closely and he never thought he would have the chance to meet Victor.”
The Rojas family resides in Panama and flew more than seven hours to Detroit to meet Martinez this weekend.