During the ceremonial first pitch at a Tampa Bay Rays game on Thursday, a U.S soldier home from Afghanistan surprised his 9-year old daughter by dressing up as the team catcher before taking off his mask and revealing his face, according to the Daily Mail.
Their heartwarming reunion was captured on film as Alayna Adams saw her father for the first time in about a year since his deployment.
Adams was invited to throw the first at the game, but unknown to her, her dad was hiding behind the catcher's mask. After Lt. Col. William Adams caught his daughter's toss, he stood up with the ball and took off his mask, much to his daughter's surprised delight. She ran and leaped into his arms, and the two embraced in front of home plate and a crowd of onlookers and a camera crew. The crowd cheered with delight as Alayna smiled during her first hug with her dad in about a year.
"I was so excited, for a second I felt like it was a dream," she said to FOX Sports, who confirmed that Kelly Johnson had given her his batting gloves as a gift. Soon father and daughter were joined by Alayna's mother and William's wife Dana, both of whom were unaware that he was home from Afghanistan.
Prior to the reunion, the lieutenant was displayed on the video board giving a message to spectators about his time abroad. Afterwards, the reunited family posed for photos, and the lieutenant spoke on the experience.
"I can't believe I'm finally back with the girls," he said. "There's so many servicemen overseas, I just really appreciate what the U.S.O. and the Tampa Bay Rays could do for us."
When asked how he kept his emotions in check before surprising his daughter, he said he did "a lot of deep breaths" just like he told his daughter to do.
"It worked out, but I was pretty excited," he said. Lt. Col. Adams, who recently turned 40, agreed with the reporter that he couldn't think of a better birthday gift.
"I'm still in complete shock," said the lieutenant's wife, Dana. "I had no idea, and usually I pick up on things. I had no idea whatsoever so it's very exciting."
Click here to see additional photos of the family's reunion and Lt. Col. Adams surprising his daughter at the Tampa Bay Rays game, and click here to see the video of their reunion.
