Orono first-grader, Isaac Hess, threw the first pitch at the Minnesota Twins game on April 18 at Target Field.

One of Isaac’s doctors from Gillette Children’s Hospital recommended him to do the honor.

The seven year old was supposed to throw the pitch to the Twins Mascot, TC Bear. Unexpectedly, Joe Mauer, Isaac’s favorite player, walked onto the field and asked him if he wanted to warm up and play catch.

Mauer is a donor at Gillette Children’s Hospital funding a baseball themed waiting room at the main hospital in St. Paul.

“It was a true honor for us to be able to thank him personally for his contributions to Gillette and a memory for our family that will last forever,” Anne Hess, Isaac’s mom, said.