Nationals Gift Signed Ball to Young Girl After Man Steals One Away: 'Wanted to Make Sure You Got One'

Will Newton/MLB Photos via Getty

The Washington Nationals made a young fan's day when the baseball team gifted her a baseball signed by first baseman Joey Meneses.

After a video went viral last week of a grown man grabbing a ball away from the young fan, a softball player named Avery, the team and Meneses made sure to make it up to her.

"Avery, I'm sorry you didn't get the ball I threw to you," Meneses, 30, wrote. "I wanted to make sure you got one, so I hope this signed game ball makes up for it! Hope to see you at a game soon!"

The Nationals team had invited Avery and her mother, Gina Hilliard, along with the rest of the Shenandoah Rec League team to their September 2 game against the Oakland Athletics as part of Youth Champions Day, recognizing the young athletes for "their hard work" and success in winning state titles.

RELATED: Washington Nationals Apologize to Young Girl and Her Mom After a 'Grown Man' Steals Her Baseball

The viral clip shows the first baseman tossing a ball to the group of young girls as they cheered for him from their seats at Nationals Park. But as the girls are about to collect the ball, a man is seen stepping in to intercept the catch.

"Grown man steals baseball from little girl," wrote Gina Hilliard, the mom who filmed the viral clip. "Can you get Joey Meneses to sign a baseball and send it to my daughter?" she added, tagging the Nationals' Twitter account.

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Shortly after the clip spread around social media, a representative for the team reached out to Hilliard, who provided an update on social media. "Thank you @Nationals for reaching out and apologizing to hear that our experience that night was negatively impacted," she wrote. "They are sending something our way and hope that this can serve as a symbol of a good experience at the park rather than a bad one!"