TAMPA, FL – Daniel Gomez, 10, and his sister Isabella, 5, have been living in Tampa with their grandparents.
Their dad, Chief Warrant Officer Jose Gomez, was deployed in Iraq. And, mom captain Elizabeth Gomez, was deployed in Kuwait.
They all haven’t seen each other in nine months.
"What did you guys miss most about mom and dad?"
Daniel said, "Mostly their faces."
The Yankees came up with a fun way to reunite the four.
During the team’s spring game against the Tampa Bay Rays, they honored Daniel and Isabella with the first pitch.
As they were distracted with a video message of their parents, in real life, Jose and Elizabeth snuck up to the mound.
All a surprise, but Daniel had his suspicions.
“I thought it would be the Yankee players and then when I saw them come out, I’m like okay now this is, it went too far now,” he said.
And, then the reunion happened. As Daniel and Isabella threw out their pitches, they soon realized who the catchers were behind the mask.
“I just started crying,” Jose said.
“I was just like balling my eyes out,” Elizabeth said.
They made it in town last night and had the tough task of waiting to see their kids.
“It was tough but it was worth it because of their faces,” Jose said.
