Bethlehem boy is surprised with baseball tickets

BETHLEHEM – Dylan Field is a student at Hamagrael Elementary in Bethlehem, and he’s a great big brother to a sister who has a genetic condition and health challenges.

He walked in for what he thought was a regular school assembly.

“But he has no idea that Aaron Boone from the Yankees is going to personally invite him to go down to Yankee Stadium, sit field level to watch the Yankees play baseball!” said Steve Tobin, president of Yankee Trails.

“I’m excited! I think he’s really deserving of this. He’s a great brother and I think he’s going to be really surprised and excited,” said Dylan’s mother, Emily Field.

The fifth grader is the “Sibling Star” for the Bus Stop Club, a support group for siblings of children with chronic illness and special needs.

“The siblings tend to get a little lost in the shuffle, of course, the child with more needs, the parents’ attention has to naturally go to them and there’s not much for siblings and other kids in the house, and that’s why Bus Stop Club was created,” said Angela Tobin, executive director of the Bus Stop Club.

The surprises started coming. Yankee Trails and the ValleyCats announced that Dylan and his family are going to a ValleyCats game – and that he’s throwing out the first pitch!

Then, the entire grade – plus their families – were also invited to go!

Then there was another big reveal: a special video message from New York Yankees Manager Aaron Boone about the Yankees tickets.

“Keep being an inspiration to siblings and friends and people in your neighborhood,” said Boone on the message. “And I hope you really enjoy the Yankee game!”

The students all got plenty of ValleyCats stuff, and several times, they started chanting Dylan’s name.

“I thought I was pretty lucky,” said Dylan, after the big reveal.

“It just makes you feel good to help other people, and that family goes through a lot, they’ve got a lot of medical conditions going on, and sometimes the Bus Stop Club kids kind of get lost in the shuffle a little bit because they have so many other issues going on,” said Steve Tobin. “We want to reward that kid for being a great teammate, great classmate and most importantly being a great brother.”