In the line of people evacuating from the flood-hit Texas, a boy, soaked, holding a torn notebook, sobbing in the mud – wearing an old, crumpled Cubs jersey. No one expected that image to touch the heart of a player thousands of miles away… And a few weeks later, the boy’s fate would change completely – with a hug, and a new family with the Cubs name…
Beaumont, Texas – July 2025. The historic flood swept through the South, leaving thousands homeless, schools submerged, children separated from their parents. In an evacuation area, a reporter happened to capture the moment a small boy, about 9 years old, holding a wet notebook, wearing a Chicago Cubs jersey number 8 covered in mud, cried until he fainted.
When asked his name, he just shook his head and said softly: “I don’t know… my house is gone.”
The photo was shared across social media and caught the eye of Ian Happ, a veteran Cubs outfielder who once wore the same jersey number as the boy.
“I saw myself in those eyes.” – Ian Happ
“I looked at the photo three times. And I couldn’t take my eyes off that face,” – Happ shared. He quickly contacted reporters, relief agencies and went to the evacuation center where the boy was last seen.
It took four days for him to see the boy again – who was now in temporary care at a social center. “He didn’t remember his full name, but when I asked him, ‘Do you like the Cubs?’, he nodded and whispered, ‘That’s my dad’s jersey.’”
Having never considered adoption, Ian Happ and his wife, Abby, decided to file for temporary guardianship. After verification and approval from the child care agency, they brought the boy – whose real name is Landon R. – back to Chicago.
They did not publicize the incident, did not invite the media. It was only when Landon appeared quietly in the stands of Wrigley Field, baseball glove in hand, sitting next to Abby Happ, that the fans broke out in tears.
Fans were moved:
“He didn’t just wear a Cubs jersey – he wore the Cubs soul.”
“Ian Happ didn’t just save a kid – he rewrote his future.”
“MLB should tell this story every day.”
Landon is now enrolled in a Chicago elementary school. His old Cubs jersey still hangs in his room – next to his signed glove from the entire team.
And Ian Happ? He said only one thing in his postgame press conference:
“I didn’t adopt a Cubs fan. I adopted a heart that was stolen by a natural disaster – and now deserves to be loved to the end.”
In a world where baseball is sometimes just a game, there are moments when it becomes a lifeline. Not because of a home run. But because of a muddy jersey, a hug – and a life-changing decision.