Student who encouraged unity after Charlottesville delivers World Series game ball

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer

A Dartmouth student who united his classmates against hatred in the wake of Charlottesville was chosen by Major League Baseball to deliver the game ball before Game 1 of the World Series.

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After seeing white nationalists march on the University of Virginia, 18-year-old Carlos Polanco decided to act. He reached out to incoming other incoming freshman heading to Dartmouth, and worked on a statement from the Dartmouth class of 2021 to the incoming students at the University of Virginia, encouraging unity and acceptance.

Polanco was selected as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America‘s National Youth of the Year. The BGCA is the official charity of MLB, and the National Youth of the Year traditionally attends the first two games of the World Series, delivering the game ball for Game 1.

Polanco did just that, and then watched as the Los Angeles Dodgers quickly defeated the Houston Astros 3-1. The game took just two hours and twenty-eight minutes.

A student from Dartmouth delivered the game ball before Game 1 of the World Series. (AP Photo)
A student from Dartmouth delivered the game ball before Game 1 of the World Series. (AP Photo)

That was probably a good thing, because Polanco has a busy day Wednesday. He’s set to help the BGCA pack supplies and comfort kits for those impacted by the California wild fires. He’ll be joined by a few former Dodgers for that, including Orel Hershiser, Nomar Garciaparra, Steve Garvey and Ron Cey.

Polanco grew up in the Dominican Republic, and is a huge baseball fan. He moved to the United Stats when he was five and started rooting for the New York Yankees.

After all the leadership Polanco has displayed this year, you already know his favorite player was Derek Jeter.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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