More than a Game

Baseball season was a way of life for Romeo and Tracy Santos. Bonding over the game, the two were best friends in high school, reunited a few years after graduation and married on July 7, 2007.

But this July 7, Romeo celebrated his four-year wedding anniversary by throwing the first pitch at the IronBirds game, with his friends, family and all of Ripken Stadium cheering him on.

As the grand prize winner of the "Ultimate Ripken Experience," Romeo was thrilled to open the IronBirds game. But Romeo's biggest fan wasn't there to celebrate with him. His wife, Tracy, died of breast cancer last month. 

Baseball is life for Santos, who grew up in Baltimore during Cal Ripken Jr.'s "golden years" in the 1990s. Living without a father in a family of six sisters and two brothers, Santos said he looked to Ripken for inspiration.

"Cal Ripken was kind of like a father figure for me," Santos said. "Baseball definitely kept me off the [street] corners." 

From the Bowie Baysox and the Frederick Keys to the Delmarva Shorebirds and the Aberdeen IronBirds, Santos and his wife would travel to see all of the Baltimore Orioles' minor league teams play throughout the season. 

As dedicated IronBirds fans, Romeo and Tracy spent all of May following the "Where's Joe?" scavenger hunt. In partnership with the IronBirds, Point Breeze Credit Union posted one picture a week on their Facebook page of "Joe the Monkey" in a different location around Harford County for four weeks. The pictures began as close-ups of "Joe the Monkey" at the beginning of the week, then zoomed out to show more of the image.

The first 200 fans to correctly guess "Joe the Monkey's" location won an IronBirds or Orioles bobblehead. 

For Romeo and Tracy, this contest kept them busy as Tracy battled breast cancer. On their way to and from chemotherapy, the couple stopped by the credit union to pick up their prize each week. 

"I'd always call her up during the day and ask, 'Did you find Joe yet?"' Santos said. 

After four weeks of winning, Romeo and Tracy were entered in a drawing to win the grand prize—"The Ultimate Ripken Experience," which included six tickets to an IronBirds game and the opportunity to throw the opening game pitch. 

The day came for the couple to attend the grand prize drawing party, but Tracy's cancer took a turn for the worse. Santos didn't want to leave his wife in the hospital alone, but snuck out to hear the drawing results when Tracy was asleep.

He arrived at the party just in time to hear his name called as the grand prize winner. Santos said he was so excited to go back to the hospital to tell his wife the news.

"When I told her, she was excited, but that spark in her just wasn't there," Santos said. 

The next day, Tracy passed away. 

When the stadium heard Santos' story, Jocelyn Hill, manager of corporate partnership services with the IronBirds, said the stadium wanted to help. She reserved two club level suites for Santos and his family to watch him throw the opening game pitch.

Since Tracy was a big animal lover, Hill said Ripken Stadium is planning to organize a night later in the season to honor Tracy's legacy, with proceeds going to the Maryland SPCA.

"I feel like the whole thing happened for a reason, him winning the promotion and everything," Hill said.

Though his wife is gone, one thing hasn't changed—Santos still loves baseball. Wearing his personalized IronBirds jersey and a neon orange hat with the Oriole bird on the front, Santos was all smiles as he geared up for the pitch and waved to the club level stands where his family sits. 

"I don't think I could have gotten through all of this without my family," he said afterward.

As Santos walked to the mound to throw the opening pitch, his friends and family cheered him on from their club level seats. 

Finally, Santos' moment arrived. He threw—a rather wild pitch—and looked back up to his family in the stands. 

"I don't think I made the team," Santos said as he walked off the field with a grin. "At least I made it to the mound."