Brewers spring training: Aurora pediatric patients' MVP experience
Tyler Morano, Blake Baker and Natasha Taylor on the field for the Brewers' spring training opener (Courtesy: Aurora Health Care)
PHOENIX - Three Aurora Health Care pediatric patients, each of whom has endured life-changing health challenges, got the MVP experience at Milwaukee Brewers spring training this week.
The backstory:
All three Wisconsin kids have gone through a lot of health challenges: 8-year-old Blake Baker had a benign brain tumor, 9-year-old Tyler Morano has progressive hearing loss, and 9-year-old Natasha Taylor's bones grow abnormally.
RELATED: Check out the new and improved FOX Sports app
Local perspective:
The week's activities started with a send-off celebration at American Family Field, where the kids and their families met Bernie Brewer and the Famous Racing Sausages. From there, they headed to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport and made their way to Phoenix.
Baker, Morano and Taylor arrived at the Brewers' spring training facilities on Thursday. They got to meet players Rhys Hoskins and Sal Frelick during a private dinner, but the fun didn't stop there.
Brewers players Rhys Hoskins and Sal Frelick meat Aurora pediatric patients
On Friday, the kids got complete access to American Family Fields of Phoenix. They met players and staff – including former All-Star Ryan Braun and manager Pat Murphy. They toured the clubhouse and got to go through catching and batting drills with the team.
The MVP experience came to an end on Saturday as the Brewers played the Cincinnati Reds in the spring training opener. All three kids got to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. They were recognized in a pre-game ceremony and participated as in-game junior announcers, too.
For good measure, the Brewers delivered a dramatic win for the kids. Vinny Capra hit a three-run, walk-off home run to seal an 8-7 win for Milwaukee.
The Source: Information in this report is from Aurora Health Care.