But Big Al headed back onto the field, wielding a fluorescent orange aluminum bat, ready to crank a few more balls over the fence. Once done answering a few questions, his media session was over. He happily complied, and we got more than enough photos and video clips.īut Big Al didn’t want to end his personal home run derby. He kept swinging away at pitch after pitch, eventually needing to be corralled into the dugout for a brief interview. On Tuesday afternoon, I asked Alfred “Big Al” Delia, the now-famous 12-year-old Middletown Little Leaguer, if he would show me how he hits dingers at his team’s home field at Bodman Park. – Like any kid playing baseball, all Big Al wants to do is hit dingers. Said Big Al: “Because you can hit dingers.MIDDLETOWN, N.J. His response was as #OnBrand as it was authentic. But before his time on the field was over, he was asked why he enjoys baseball so much. He’s set to begin the seventh grade, and his parents will return to work. The two chatted on the bench, just one slugger talking shop with another, a moment that would soon be immortalized on social media.Īfter the game, Big Al will return to Middletown, N.J., about an hour south of the Stadium. “I was like ‘ really?’” Big Al recalled later. Stanton put his massive hand on Big Al’s head, then invited him to sit in the Yankees’ dugout. “I owe a big thank you to Aaron Hicks,” said Big Al, who wasn’t told of the visit until the night before. Hicks commemorated the visit by wearing a green T-shirt that read “Big Al Hits Dingers.” Of course, it was Hicks who orchestrated the highlight of the day, a visit with Stanton before the Yankees’ 4-1 loss to the White Sox. He spent much of his time in awe, soaking in the experience with his family and a few friends. Despite his catchy nickname, he really isn’t all that big. And then there was Big Al, whose rise to fame is based on hitting dingers, not hitting behind the runner. Entering play on Wednesday, the Yankees led the majors with 215 homers, putting them on pace to equal the single-season record of 264 set by the 1997 Mariners. These are the Bronx Bombers, not the Bronx Bunters. There were no apologies on Wednesday, as Big Al mingled with players from his favorite team. “He actually apologized to the Mets because he’s a Yankees fan,” said Big Al’s father, laughing at the memory. When Big Al was introduced to Michael Conforto and Zack Wheeler, he couldn’t help but make a confession. Consider the time when he met members of the Mets in Williamsport. That was just Big Al, just saying what feels right, his father said. When he professed his affinity for dingers, he had no clue that, by the next day, he’d be signing autographs and taking selfies with strangers. His son has always been this way, known to make “offbeat” comments. The intro wasn’t scripted, said Big Al’s father, who is also named Al. It’s part of the package for those who achieve the fleeting fame of a viral video. He and his family have done the full-on media tour. Since then, he has taken hundreds of selfies. It’s been more than two weeks since that video first aired on an ESPN telecast of a Little League World Series playoff game. “At home they call me Big Al, and I hit dingers.”Ĭlearly, the world needed a dose of Big Al. “My name is Alfred Delia,” he said in his famous viral video. All of it was as genuine as the innocent enthusiasm that he’d needed just six seconds to transmit. For all the attention that he’d grown accustomed to the last few weeks, he was still capable of being overwhelmed. “Nice to meet you.”īig Al, the social media sensation, was just a little boy, his head down, his eyes welling with tears. But he turned to his left, and he was suddenly looking straight up at his favorite player. Stanton climbed the dugout steps wearing a wide smile. “I’ve liked him since he was on the Marlins,” Big Al said of Stanton, while also noting that Miami was, “one of his first teams.” If there was time, Hicks said, maybe he’d get a visit from Giancarlo Stanton. Earlier in the day, Aaron Hicks had mentioned a meeting with a guy who has hit 299 dingers. Now, Big Al explained to a handful of reporters, he was holding out hope.
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