Jake Mangum was the subject of a viral MLB moment after he threw a ball to a young fan wearing his jersey in the stands between innings.
Sunday treated us to one of the most wholesome baseball displays we're likely to see all season.In a now-viral moment between innings during a game between the Pirates and Rays in Pittsburgh, second-year outfielder Jake Mangum located a young fan in the stands wearing his jersey and tossed her a ball. Her brother made a nice snag with his glove and, instead of keeping the ball for himself, immediately handed it to his sister, who gave him a huge hug in return.Mangum told a local radio station after the game that he spotted the girl, explaining that it was the first time he had seen a fan wearing his jersey, and was attempting to throw her the ball.Jake Mangum threw this baseball to a young fan ...The moment that unfolded after will melt your heart 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/ppJSZz3moj— MLB (@MLB) April 19, 2026“What I saw, in-between innings I’ll be throwing balls in the stands,” Mangum told 93.7 The Fan.
“Most of the time now they are catching it with (traffic) cones. That’s pretty funny. But that time I saw the little girl doing this (pointing to the name on the back of her white Pirates jersey).”“That was my jersey!”“I’m a new player here, I think it’s the first time I’ve seen my jersey in the stadium.
That was pretty cool.”...“I knew that they were all related because when they caught it you just saw the Dad going like ‘yes, yes, yes’. That was awesome. Moments like that, stuff like that.
It’s what it’s all about.”Even Mangum's own mother, Stacy Mangum, took to social media to comment on the exchange."My mama heart is so full," she posted on X. "thanking the Lord everyday on this journey with Jake! The sweetest video of this precious family!"My mama heart is so full..... thanking the Lord everyday on this journey with Jake! The sweetest video of this precious family! 🙏❤️ https://t.co/hqLxaCoWj5— Stacy Mangum (@stacymangum12) April 20, 2026It was surely a moment both Mangum and those young fans will remember for a long time.This article originally appeared on For The Win: Pirates outfielder throwing to young fans led to heartwarming moment