ST. LOUIS, Missouri – On Saturday night at Busch Stadium, during the St. Louis Cardinals’ resounding victory over the Atlanta Braves, a moment of silence touched the hearts of millions of fans: Lars Nootbaar, the hero of the game, hit his first home run since learning of his grandfather’s death that morning.
The game was part of “Japanese Heritage Day” – a special occasion that has always held deep meaning for Nootbaar, who is of Japanese descent on his mother’s side. But this time, the meaning went beyond sports: it was a farewell.
“He always dreamed of me hitting a home run for the Cardinals. And now I did it … but he’s not here to see it,” Nootbaar said, choking up after the game.
Nootbaar said that during his childhood, whenever he visited his grandfather in Japan, the two of them would sign a baseball together – a silent promise that Lars would one day hit a home run for him.
On Saturday morning, he received the news that his grandfather – a former semi-pro athlete – had passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 84. Despite being asked by the team to retire, Nootbaar decided to play.
“He never missed a game of mine, not even on the screen. I know he was watching from somewhere else,” he said.
In the third inning, Nootbaar swung hard, sending the ball over the right-field wall – a perfect home run. But instead of celebrating, he bowed his head and pointed to the sky. The entire stadium stood and applauded in silence – a silent condolence.
After the game, Nootbaar wrote on the baseball with a black marker:
“For Ojiichan – I kept my promise.”
The ball was then sent back to Japan, placed in the wooden box he had kept.
That home run may not be recorded in the MLB record books, but for Lars Nootbaar – and everyone who watched – it was a hit that would last forever, beyond the scoreboard, beyond the ballpark. It was the hit of a promise kept, with all the love, memory, and gratitude.