Household Finishes Dad’s Dream to Go to Each MLB Stadium

A Colorado dad’s dream has been fulfilled after his dying, because of his household.

In 2015, whereas U.S. Air Power Col. Erick Gilbert was away on deployment, he determined to set a aim together with his spouse and children to go to each Main League Baseball park earlier than his older son, Dane, turned 18.

However simply two ballparks wanting visiting all 30, Gilbert died unexpectedly on the age of 43 from a suspected coronary heart assault.

“He was a fantastic chief in the whole lot that he did,” Chase Gilbert, Dane’s youthful brother, tells PEOPLE. 

Now Chase, Dane and their mother have completed Erick’s plan with visits this month to the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Area and the Miami Marlins’ LoanDepot Park.

The journeys from ballpark to ballpark allowed the die-hard baseball household, who stay on a small ranch simply north of Colorado Springs, to go to the 28 fields over 4 seasons, together with a 30-day street journey the place they visited 17 at one time.

Stops at close by nationwide parks and donut outlets had been different favourite recollections.

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“[It was] simply one thing all of us loved and we simply love spending time collectively, after which together with baseball in there may be simply a variety of enjoyable,” says Dane, who shall be taking part in baseball for Missouri Valley School.

The household took their game-day visits significantly, even when it got here to the sillier priorities.

“All of us had completely different jobs,” says mother Kasia, a navy contractor. “Chase’s job throughout our Main League Baseball park excursions was to determine what probably the most outrageous or fascinating meals was that we would have liked to strive.”

However over the previous week or so, Kasia says “the boys” had been in for a number of surprises with the assistance of the crew organizations and the Tragedy Help Program for Survivors (TAPS). 

For Dane, a spotlight of the Friday, June 7, Rays sport allowed him and his household to get on the sphere for batting follow. He additionally bought a few of his baseball card assortment signed. 

“That is one among my high hobbies, and I bought it from my dad too,” Dane says. “Attending to see all these guys up shut and in individual was superior.”

With a day in between their remaining ballpark cease, Kasia shares that the household rented a automobile and headed to Miami however made certain to take pleasure in South Seaside, too.

“It was only a good street journey,” she says. “Making new recollections like we have at all times executed.”

One reminiscence the household will not overlook is having Dane and Chase every throw the primary pitch for the Sunday, June 9, sport in Miami. “It was a shock for all of us,” Chase says. “It was superior.” 

“They introduced us to the dugout. We bought to test it out, which was tremendous cool,” he says. “They introduced out not solely a jersey that was signed by the entire crew for us, however additionally they then instructed us that we might be throwing out the honorary first pitch.”

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Along with his personal aim to play on an enormous league subject sooner or later, Dane says that it was a “dream come true.” Chase notes that his dad “would’ve simply been completely stoked.”

“The truth that we threw out the primary pitch, he would’ve thought that is the good factor ever,” Chase says.

Kasia says she might think about Erik’s “nice smile” all through the expertise.

“All of our faces damage from smiling, and we might simply image the massive outdated grin on Eric’s face the entire time the whole lot was occurring,” she says. 

And whereas his dream has come to a detailed, his spirit lives on in his household.

“I used to be captain this 12 months for a baseball crew,” Dane says. “I feel simply having the ability to lead individuals the identical [way] that he did — I simply wish to preserve doing that.”

Kasia is grateful to share Erik’s story. “The extra we speak about [him],” she says, “we preserve [his] reminiscence alive.”