Beyond Baseball: Haiti earthquake survivor enjoys day at ballpark with Cards

This is Beyond Baseball.

The inspiring commercials that promote the best in baseball and their remarkable stories can’t compare to this story. Albert Pujols may be the greatest ever. We may all sit around one day and say we saw No. 5 do it all. But somehow, even Pujols’ remarkable career and Tim Lincecum’s close relationship with his father don’t mean as much as Jean Patrickson’s story. He’ll never play on a big league field like Pujols. But the 11-year-old kid from Haiti shows us the true power of baseball. And how the game can transcend anything.

Patrickson is a survivor of the Haiti earthquake that shook the world earlier this year. The boy was badly hurt and there was a possibility his leg would have to be amputated. But the surgeons found another way. During his time in the United States, he has been an inspiration for everyone. The Shriners Hospital for Children put together a special day in St. Louis for the tough kid to meet his favorite team, the St. Louis Cardinals.

The video tells the rest of the story.

The smiling snapshots tell us that this is beyond a game and beyond greatness.