CLEVELAND — It's a moment of victory in a battle being fought since last October for 11-year-old Micah Galuzny, from Lexington.
"Mighty Micah," as he's called, is fighting a rare form of connective tissue and muscular cancer called alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, or ARMS. A family day at the ballpark is just what was needed.
"Obviously, Micah is involved in baseball, and for him just to have the sunshine on his back watching a baseball game means the world to him," Micah's father Brian said. "Nobody ever wants to be told they have cancer, and that's where us, as parents, we're just trying to be supportive of him.
Turns out, Micah — who brought his five siblings, mom, and dad along — has a pretty good track record when it comes to Guardians games. On this day before Cleveland battled the New York Yankees, he got to meet with players, mascots, and even manager Terry Francona.
"It feels really good," Micah told us. "I have a lot of support."
Those supporters came in their bright blue "Mighty Micah" t-shirts complete with a Bible verse on the back and a little mouse on the front, a nod to his other nickname "Micah Mouse." If you ask what he loves besides family, the answer is simple.
"He's been on a travel baseball team for the last two years," Brian said. "He played rec ball before that. He's just always had a love for baseball. If you had asked him last year what his position was, he would tell you 'pitcher.'"
The perfect position to throw out the first pitch in perfect weather for baseball, a special surprise from the team Micah loves so much. Fittingly, he fired a perfect strike to Hunter Gaddis behind home plate, doing his best to give the Guardians a little boost.
"Every time I've been to a game, the Cleveland Guardians have won," Micah noted, "so I might just happen to be a good luck charm."
Unfortunately, that luck ran out Wednesday, as the Guards lost to the Yanks 4-3. Still, not even defeat on the field could put a damper on such an amazing day, and through it all, Micah's own travel teammates from the "Central Ohio Prime" continue to be there for him while he returns the favor.
"His team has been so supportive," Brian said. "They still have him on the roster even though he can't really play right now. We're trying to get to as many games as we can and support the team."