ST. LOUIS -- The Angels unveiled a special shoutout to Southern California firefighters on Sunday with their home run helmet.
The brainchild of Mike Trout, who has a close friend on the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the helmet is worn after an Angels hitter goes yard. It is meant to show support for area firefighters not only for what they do every day, but also for the heroism displayed in fighting the devastating wildfires in January.
“I thought that it would be a good gesture to show some support to them,” Trout said. “I think our plan is, at the end of the season or middle of the season, everybody sign it from the team and then auction it off for charity.”
The Angels were one of 12 sports teams from the region -- joining Angel City FC, the Chargers, Clippers, Dodgers, Ducks, Galaxy, Kings, LAFC, Lakers, Rams and Sparks -- to donate a combined more than $8 million to support victims in need, as well as those fighting the fires. The club was also active in a distribution of more than $3 million worth of Fanatics merchandise to those were evacuated, with representatives from the organization helping at the event at BMO Stadium on Jan. 17. And the Angels spearheaded a billboard thanking first responders located off the 405 Freeway.
The helmet made a memorable debut as Kyren Paris hit a go-ahead home run right out of a two-hour, 48-minute rain delay to lift the Angels to a 3-2 win over the White Sox on Sunday.
The idea has the approval of manager Ron Washington.
“The first responders, the fire department, I think it’s nice that we can represent them,” Washington said.
Trout said the devastation brought by the wildfires puts things into perspective.
“It's bigger than baseball, everything,” Trout said. “It’s people's lives. Losing a house, losing anything, it's tough. Just to see the devastation and see what families are going through, it's a tough situation. I thought it'd be a good gesture just to show some light and some support.”