Never meet your heroes, the saying goes. They may end up disappointing or not living up to one’s expectations. The illusion is shattered and beliefs are destroyed. But for one young baseball fan, meeting his hero changed the course of his life. To this day, 13-year-old Mateo Sanchez expresses his gratitude that he met his favorite pro baseballer of all time, George Springer.

The Blue Jays center fielder is counted among one of the most prolific players MLB has seen to date. With the title of 2017 World Series MVP under his belt, Springer helped his then-team, the Houston Astros, win the World Series against the LA Dodgers. But more than that, the 33-year-old once helped a young kid win in a much more personal sense.

George Springer once changed a kid’s life when he gave advice about his stutter

MLB.com writer Jesse Sanchez was struggling to help his son Mateo deal with his stutter. He and his wife wanted to help in whatever way they could, but sometimes, their strategies ended up doing more harm than good. But Mateo, who has always been a baseball fan, inspired his dad to get creative.

Calling in some favors led the father-son duo to Chase Field, where the Astros had an upcoming match in 2017. Lo-and-behold, who should be in front of the young Sanchez, but George Springer himself? Mateo asked, “I-I-I got one qu-qu-question. How did you get past your s-s-stuttering?”

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“Well, truthfully, I s-still have it,” Springer answered in the same tone to let the kid not feel different.

The two talked about their shared life struggles, and Springer gave Mateo some tips on how to deal with them. His ultimate advice was that life would eventually get easier, that was for certain, but the process to get there would be full of hardships. And it holds true for everybody.

Springer left a lasting impact on Mateo Sanchez

Sanchez Sr. went on to describe how much the interaction influenced his son, who made it his personal mission to raise awareness about stuttering. Springer helped Mateo become a more confident version of himself through some simple remarks. And the kid went on to hold sessions and presentations in front of his classmates at school.

When MLB posted the story to Twitter, things got a little emotional.

In 2022, Springer also became the spokesperson for SAY. It stands for The Stuttering Association for the Young, and the center fielder is choosing his own way to help spread information about the issue.

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