GOLDEN VALLEY, MN (May 3, 2017) — When 90-year-old Emery Erickson threw out the first pitch before the Minnesota Twins game on April 20, it was not only a dream come true for the avid fan—it also was a way for the community and baseball team to honor the man who continues to inspire them with his service to others.
“No one is more deserving than Emery,” said Robyn Baumgarten, resident life director at Covenant Village of Golden Valley, where he lives. “Emery inspires all of us. He has a zest for life and a heart that gets bigger with age.”
He also has a strong arm. Erickson hit the glove of the team mascot on just one bounce.
“It’s been a wild ride,” Erickson said before stepping up to the pitcher’s mound at Target Field. “It’s finally sinking in.”
Jan Miller, Erickson’s daughter, reached out to the Twins after she overheard her dad say his bucket list included throwing out the ceremonial pitch for his favorite team. It was easy for her to convince them.
“Volunteering is a way of life for my dad,” she said. “He’s just amazing.”
The day before the April 20 game, Emery practiced throwing the ball with a reporter from a local television station and patiently listened to pitching advice from “little ladies” who, he said, had never followed baseball before. Some of them were among the nearly two dozen residents who attended the game.
Also in the stands was Rubye, his wife of more than 40 years, who recently had to move across the street from residential living to memory care due to her advancing dementia.
“It was a special day for a special couple,” said Baumgarten.
You can see the pitch and more here.
Covenant Village is a continuing care retirement community administered by Covenant Retirement Communities.
