Never undermine the stardom of sports people. A recent moment shared between Derek Jeter and this 29-year-old magnified how impactful being star-struck can be. Right during Fox Sports’ pregame show before ALCS Game 5, in an adorable exchange of words, this young champ confessed the real reason he loves Baseball. 

Taken by surprise Derek Jeter, could not help but add a humble laugh. This Astros utility man was barely a year old when Jeter debuted with the New York Yankees but on this show, the second Honduran MLB player ever explained why the Yankees’ Hall of Famer had such a big impact on him. 

Derek Jeter is delighted to hear an unexpected answer from this young champ

For a brief moment, when Derek Jeter wanted to know about the Astros utility man’s baseball background, Mauricio Dubón could only boyishly giggle. That’s because Dubón developed a passion for the game, all thanks to Jeter. He shared the same with David Oritz and the man himself, Derek Jeter. As per the clip tweeted by @MLBONFOX, the emotion in the video was appropriately summed up as, “You’re the reason I love this game.🥹Mauricio Dubón tells @derekjeter  that he is the reason he fell in love with the game of baseball❤️”. 

In 2009, at the age of 15, Dubon made a significant move to California. It was during his time at Sacramento’s Capital Christian High School that he looked up to Derek Jeter’s exceptional performance as a shortstop, using it as a model for his own game. As an outcome of his admiration, he said, “You’re the reason I love this game,” Dubón said. “A lot of people in Honduras are probably watching. A lot of people in Honduras are probably freaking out right now because every little kid in Honduras, growing up, always watched the Red Sox and Yankees. Watched all you three guys battle. Like I said before we went on air, 8-year-old me would be freaking out right now. It’s pretty crazy being here”. He also mentioned that he had a poster of Jeter at his place growing up. 

Dubon continued by describing how many young baseball players in his native Honduras are familiar with the 49-year-old and how the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees rivalry shaped his formative years in the US.

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The Astros fanboy played shortstop in the Minor Leagues before his nomination for a Gold Glove at second base and as a utility player. He continued his hot hitting from the last two months of the season into the postseason. There he was 8 for 17 going into Friday’s game. With that, he earned a spot in manager Dusty Baker’s good books. 

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Dubón was rewarded by Astros manager Dusty Baker with more playing time and the No. 2 place in the lineup. The beloved Houston player joined the show alongside legends to talk about his success and share his love for Jeter. 

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