DENVER – The 13-year-old umpire caught in the middle of a brawl at a youth baseball game got a big-league show of support Sunday.
Josh Cordova and his family were invited to Coors Field by major league umpire Chris Guccione to see the Dodgers play the Rockies.
Guccione, who is from Salida, Colo., reached out to Josh after hearing about a game between 7-year-olds that deteriorated into an adult-fueled brawl on the field over a disputed call. Video of the fight at Westgate Elementary School in Lakewood went viral.
"It was scary, not only for me but for the 7-year-olds there," Josh said as he sat next to Guccione before the game. "I don't want them to have the idea that baseball is like that. I want them to have the belief that baseball is a great game and for them to learn to love the game, just as I have."
Guccione, a big-league ump for 20 years, said he started umpiring at about the same age as Josh but had never seen or experienced anything like the all-out fighting among parents, coaches or spectators that Josh witnessed.
"I thought it was a perfect opportunity to reach out to Josh and not only to him but his family and to say to him, 'I'm proud of you and I'm rooting for you and what you did is the right thing,' " Guccione said. "I'm super happy for him, and I wanted to encourage him to keep going forward."
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