Texas Rangers’ Joey Gallo surprises El Paso youth by joining equipment donation
Joey Gallo is about as humble as a major league All-Star can get.
The Texas Rangers slugger never forgot his roots and the deep love of baseball he cultivated as a young boy.
But even Gallo, who is about to start his seventh season in the majors, wasn’t sure what to expect when he joined Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation last week via Zoom to distribute baseball and softball equipment to kids in El Paso via the Sports Matter Giving Truck.
“They saw my face on the screen and the kids started screaming and saying my name,” Gallo said. “It’s always nice to hear that and for them to look up to you like that. It was a great experience. I wish I could have been there in person.”
Kids from the Southwest Baseball League in El Paso are one of the groups in eight cities around the country to receive baseball and softball equipment from the Sports Matter Giving Truck in March.
The whole event is a fastball down the middle for Gallo.
“I want to be part of giving back to the community, especially in Texas,” he said. “Everybody has had a pretty tough year. And a lot of kids didn’t get to play the sport they love. For me, that’s close to my heart because I always loved playing baseball growing up. I felt bad for those kids.”
The event also allowed Gallo to foster his love of the game to underserved kids.
“I wanted to be a part of that and surprise these kids, let them know we’re all rooting for them to get back on the field and having fun again,” he said.
Playing baseball, of course, isn’t easy without the proper equipment, which includes gloves, bats, helmets and cleats.
“That’s what is so great about this Dick’s Foundation and the Sports Matter Giving Truck,” Gallo said. “It’s tough to get equipment. And you need a lot of different things. That’s how you grow the game. Let these kids play and love the game of baseball and softball when they’re younger and they grow up being fans for life and some of them play in the MLB like myself.”
Gallo was happy to see some softball players on hand, too.
“It’s always exciting to see that,” he said. “It should be enjoyed by boys and girls, men and women. It’s awesome to see those softball players.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 5:02 PM.
