Home Runs at Progressive Field: Promised and Delivered

Among the many things Babe Ruth is famous for is “promising” to hit a home run for a kid, Johnny Sylvester, hospitalized with a serious brain injury, and then “delivering” by hitting a home run—actually three home runs—in the game, the fourth game of the 1926 World Series.1 In order to help celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of Babe Ruth’s “Promised and Delivered” home run, which I’ve dubbed a “Prom-Del” or “PD” homer, I have assembled a comprehensive list of players who promised to try to hit a home run for a fan, and then actually delivered on that pledge. In this article, I present pertinent information on the Cleveland players and fans who participated in the All-American diamond feat pioneered by The Sultan of Swat.

OBJECTIVES

1. Identify the Cleveland players who both promised to try to hit a home run for a fan and delivered the circuit clout.

2. Provide the details for these culturally significant, heart-warming, can-do, win-win events.

RESEARCH PROCEDURE

To ascertain the players who achieved Prom-Del homers, I utilized the Stathead search engine on the Baseball Reference website to first generate a list of players who hit at least five career home runs for Cleveland; there were 387 such players for the 1901—2025 period. Next, I did an internet search for each player, asking if that player ever hit a home run (1) for a kid? and (2) for a fan? Then, to double-check, I did another internet search asking two additional questions: Did a Cleveland player ever hit a home run (3) for a kid? and (4) for a fan?” For each “Yes” answer I then proceeded to examine various relevant newspaper articles and internet accounts of the game to obtain the details and thereby confirm (or dismiss) the search response.

With regard to what constitutes a bonafide Prom-Del homer game, here are the guidelines I followed:

1. For the beneficiaries of the home run, I excluded family members of the player—i. e., the player’s spouse/partner or a son or a daughter or a parent, etc.

2. Before the game, there must have been some personal contact between the fan and the player (not necessarily face-to-face) with some mention of the fan asking the player to hit a home run.

3. After the game, there must have been some comment by the player and/or the fan acknowledging that the Prom-Del feat had been accomplished.

RESULTS

Table 1 provides the key information for the five Prom-Del homers hit by Cleveland players identified and documented according to my search and confirmation criteria. Each of the PD homer games occurred at Progressive Field. Three player-fan pairs were found: Carlos Santana and Niko Lanzarotta; Jason Kipnis and Niko Lanzarotta; and Mike Napoli and Kat Heintzelman. Descriptions for each of these Prom-Del homer games are given below.

 

 

AUGUST 24, 2013

Thanks to Tribe Rewards, for the game between the Cleveland Indians and the visiting Minnesota Twins, 8-year-old Niko Lanzarotta and his parents, Michael and Kasia, were able to enjoy pregame access to the field for batting practice. Michael said Niko, who has cerebral palsy, fell in love with baseball while playing NEO (Northeast Ohio) Challenge Baseball in the Cleveland suburb of Brecksville, a league open to those with disabilities. Niko became a big Indians fan. While on the field, Niko got to meet his favorite player, catcher Carlos Santana, who gave Niko a signed bat. Niko also met second baseman Jason Kipnis, who also gave Niko an autographed bat. Niko asked each of them to hit a home run for him.

Santana, serving as the designated hitter and batting fourth, came to the plate in the bottom of the first inning with two down and a runner on first. With the count even at 1-1, Santana belted Liam Hendriks’ next offering to deep right field for a home run.

Then, in the bottom of the third frame, with the score 2-1 in Cleveland’s favor, Kipnis stepped into the batter’s box with a man on and two outs. Kipnis drove Hendriks’ pitch drive down the right field line, upping the Indians’ advantage to 4-1.

Cleveland would end up winning the game, 7-2.

After the game, Santana described his interaction with Niko, “He said, ‘Hey, Carlos, can you get a home run for me?’ I said, ‘OK, I promise.’ It made him happy.” Kipnis, who had told Niko that he would try to hit a homer for him, added, “He must be a good luck charm for us two.”

Niko’s dad said, “It was an awesome experience. It was the best day of his life. To meet Carlos, to be that close, and for him to hit a home run. To see your kid that happy is a great thing.”

Niko’s happiness continued in earnest two weeks later. Megan Gillombardo, a special needs teacher in the Mayfield (Ohio) School District had attended the game on Friday, August 24, and had caught Santana’s home run ball. Similarly, Mike Larkin (from New Philadelphia, Ohio) had also attended the game that day. He had “caught” Kipnis’s home run ball, which had landed in the bullpen and was tossed up to him in the stands. Both Megan and Mike contacted the Indians because they each wanted to give the special home run balls to Niko. The Indians then invited Niko, his parents, Megan, and Mike to Progressive Field for the Indians-Mets game on Saturday night, September 7.

Megan said she wanted to give the ball to Niko “to complete the full dream.” Mike said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me. The Indians got me through [my past health issues]. I know what the Indians mean to him.”

On the field before the game, Santana stopped over to visit with Niko and give him a hug and a jersey. Then center fielder Michael Bourn came over and gave Niko his batting gloves. And then shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, and Kipnis, and third baseman Mike Aviles, and some other Indians players walked over to meet Niko.

According to the FOX8 report, “At Saturday’s game, Niko said he wanted Carlos Santana and Asdrubal Cabrera to hit homers. Santana got a hit in the first, then hit the ball hard and deep in the 7th inning. Unfortunately, the ball stayed in the park. Cabrera came up in the same inning. He was hitless in his last 19 at-bats and hadn’t hit a ball in a week. But what happens next proves that Niko is the team’s good luck charm. Cabrera hit a shot just inside the right field foul pole for a three-run homer.” Niko said the whole experience with the team has been “really awesome.”2

As reported in Jordan Bastian’s article for MLB.com, Niko’s father, Michael, said, “It’s been unbelievable. When we came down that day, his favorite player is Carlos Santana. We just wanted to get a picture with him and an autograph. Everything over and above that has been just icing on the cake.”3

JULY 6, 2014

Nearly a year after Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis had each hit a Prom-Del homer for Niko Lanzarotta, Niko and his family were back at Progressive Field for the game between the Indians and the Royals. Before the game, Santana and Niko met. Just like the previous year, Niko’s only request for the first baseman was for him to hit a home run. Santana said he was willing to make the promise with Niko under one condition. “He called my name and I went over there,” Santana said. “He said, ‘I want you to hit a home run.’ And I said, ‘The only way I will hit a home run is if you give me a hug.’ He gave me a hug—really tight.”

This time, Santana’s home run was a solo home run to right field that gave the Indians a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Santana said he never thought about his interaction with Niko during the game. “I didn’t think about it [at the plate]. I thought about it after the game, Santana said. He is motivation [for me] because I know he has [cerebral palsy], and it makes it exciting for me [to make him happy],” Santana said. “I am very proud of Niko. I’m very happy that he is my number-one fan.”4

MAY 30, 2016

Prior going on the field to stretch and loosen up before the Indians-Rangers game, a teammate mentioned to catcher Mike Napoli that a fan had a sign with his name on it. While Napoli was on the field he noticed the fan-made poster. Kat Heintzelman’s sign had a very special message: Chemo Starts Tomorrow…#26 Mike Napoli… Can I Get A Hug and a Homer…Go Tribe!!!

Napoli went over to Kat to say hello and made sure she got that hug. “Somebody told me about the sign before I went out to stretch,” Napoli said. “But I saw it when I went out there. I just went out there and said, ‘hello,’ and took a picture with her. Then, I wished her good luck.” He also signed a ball for her.

In the sixth inning with one out and the bases empty, Napoli blasted a 1-2 offering over the left-field wall to get the Indians on the board. … After the game, Napoli said, “Just being able to go over and say, ‘hello,’ take a picture and give her a hug. That’s something that’s cool for me to be able to do, to put a smile on her face. I wish her luck with her chemo. To be able to hit a home run puts the cherry on top. Hopefully she has good spirits going into this. I’m happy I’m able to do something like that.”5

And, there was more to come.

JUNE 1, 2016

Kat Heintzelman was back at the ballpark the two days later, just after starting chemo, and again, she met Mike Napoli. She got her hug and a second home run: Napoli hit a two-run shot in the first inning of Cleveland’s 5-4 win over Texas.

 

 

After the game, Napoli said, “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I got to talk to her for a little bit. She started Chemo. We talked about how awesome it worked out.”

“It was exciting,” Heintzelman added. “It was nice. And I enjoyed the moment. But what I’ve enjoyed even more is the distractions that all of this has created this week when things could be so hard for me. I’ve had a lot of smiles, a lot of laughs. I’ve had a lot of really good times through this whole thing. And it’s been a really great distraction.”

Asked about meeting with Napoli before the game, Heintzelman said, “I think that was more awesome than anything else that’s happened. I really got to get a hug from him and actually got to talk to him when he wasn’t pressed for time. …And he homered again for me. Imagine that. It’s crazy.”6

Here are few additional items worth pointing out for Kat Heintzelman:

• In an MLB video, “Cleveland Indians’ ‘Fan of the Year’” on September 4, 2016, Kat Heintzelman stated, “Let me tell you why I am the Cleveland Indians’ ‘Fan of the Year.’ Although I’m in the fight of my life battling colon cancer which I was diagnosed in April, I believe I’m going to knock cancer out of the park, just like Mike Napoli went yard for me on Memorial Day when he saw my ‘Chemo Starts Tomorrow Mike Napoli Can I Get a Hug and a Homer’ sign. He came over and signed a ball for me, gave me a hug, and hit a home run during that [game]. And then he had me back at the park two days later, got another hug, and he hit another home run on his first at bat. Let’s Go Tribe! And let’s party at Napoli’s.”7
• In an MLBlogs article on November 29, 2016, the following was reported: “Here’s some good news: Kat Heintzelman, whose story went viral in May after she got a ‘hug and a homer’ from Mike Napoli, is cancer free. Kat, from the Youngstown area, was spotted by Nap in the stands on Memorial Day. She carried a sign that said, ‘Chemo starts tomorrow. Mike Napoli: Can I get a hug and a homer?’ Napoli obliged with the hug before the game, and then hit a mammoth homer during the Tribe’s loss to the Rangers. Then, later in the week, Kat came back to the ballpark and shared another hug with Nap [who hit another homer].”8
• In an Instagram post by Kat Heintzelman (@kattribe4life) is the following: “Retired, Nana, baseball fan, Christian and BADASS cancer survivor, photo by Kat Heintzelman on March 08, 2025. Day 8. On my way to Palm Beach International.”9

CONCLUDING REMARKS

It’s probably safe to say that each of the five Prom-Del homers accomplished at Progressive Field was priceless for both the fan and the player. Each of the five Progressive Field PD homers is in excellent harmony with the ground-breaking All-American Prom-Del homers that Babe Ruth hit a hundred years ago in game four of the 1926 World Series. 

HERM KRABBENHOFT is a retired organic chemist (BS, Wayne State University, 1970; PhD, University of Michigan, 1974), and author of Leadoff Batters of Major League Baseball (McFarland, 2001). Among the various baseball research topics he has pioneered are: Ultimate Grand Slam Homers, Consecutive Games On Base Safely (CGOBS) Streaks, Quasi-Cycles, Imperfect Perfectos, Downtown Golden Sombreros, Pitcher’s Cycles. In addition to The National Pastime and the Baseball Research Journal, Herm has contributed articles to the newsletters for these SABR Committees: 19th Century, Deadball Era, Statistical Analysis, and Baseball Records. Krabbenhoft has received three SABR Baseball Research Awards (1992, 1996, 2013).

 

Acknowledgments

Grateful thanks are extended to Jeff Robbins, Gary Stone, and Patrick Todgham, for very helpful discussions and inputs.

 

Notes

1. (a) “Ruth and Johnny Sylvester,” Babe Ruth Central, https://www.baberuthcentral.com/babesimpact/legends/little-johnny-sylvester/. Accessed August 07, 2025; (b) “The Babe, the Boy, and the Ball,” MetroFocus, August 3, 2017, https://www.thirteen.org/programs/metrofocus/babe-boy-ball-idafwu/. Accessed July 6, 2026.

2. While it’s entirely possible that Niko asked Santana and Cabrera to hit homers in the September 7 game, I have not found any reports to corroborate the FOX8 report that Cabrera promised to (try to) hit a homer for Niko. Accordingly, I have not classified Cabrera’s home run as a Prom-Del home run.

3. (a) Matt Snyder, “Jason Kipnis, Carlos Santana come through for child,” CBS Sports, August 25, 2013, https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/jason-kipnis-carlos-santana-come-through-for-child/. Accessed September 12, 2025; (b) Jordan Bastian, “Santana makes you fan’s dream come true,” MLB.com, August 25, 2013, https://www.mlb.com/news/indians-carlos-santana-makes-young-fans-dream-come-true/c-58342224. Accessed September 12, 2025; (c)”Indians grant fan’s homer wishes,” Associated Press, August 25, 2013, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story_/id/9599248/cleveland-indians-home-runs-grant-wish-young-fan. Accessed August 30, 2025; (d) Bill Baer, “Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis deliver for Indians fan living with cerebral palsy,” NBC Sports, August 25, 2013, https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/carlos-santana-jason-kipnis-deliver-for-indians-fan-living-with-cerebral-palsy. Accessed September 12, 2025; (e) Troy Machir, “Indians’ fan wishes for home runs, Kipnis and Santana deliver,” The Sporting News, October 27, 2021, https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/cleveland-indians-home-run-wish-cerebral-palsy-nikko-jason-kipnis-carlos-santana/16mie2cfpjtzv1hoh0xvw34ll3. Accessed September 12, 2025; (f) Nate Scott, “Carlos Santana keeps promise to young fan by blasting a home run,” USA Today, August 25, 2013, https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2013/08/25/carlos-santana-cleveland-indians-fan-home-run/82194934007/. Accessed September 12, 2025; (g) Jordan Bastian, “Young Indians fan Niko presented with home run balls,” MLB.com, September 07, 2013, https://www.mlb.com/news/young-indians-fan-niko-presented-with-home-run-balls/c-59888238. Accessed September 12, 2025, (h) “Niko returns to Progressive Field, with more surprises in store,” The Guards Post, September 7, 2013, https://guardspost.mlblogs.com/niko-returns-to-progressive-field-with-more-surprises-in-store-769e9935d818. Accessed September 12, 2025; (i) “Youngster Proves to be Tribe’s Good Luck Charm,” Fox 8 News, September 07, 2013, https://fox8.com/news/youngster-proved-to-be-tribes-good-luck-charm/. Accessed September 12, 2025.

4. “Santana continues to be touched by support from Niko, the home run kid from 2013,” The Guards Post, July 7, 2014, https://guardspost.mlblogs.com/santana-continues-to-be-touched-by-support-from-niko-the-home-run-kid-from-2013-a4aac610464d. Accessed August 30, 2025.

5. (a) Chris Landers “An Indians fan battling cancer wanted a homer and Mike Napoli delivered,” MLB.com (CUT 4), May 30, 2016, https://www.mlb.com/cut4/mike-napoli-hits-home-run-for-indians-fan-with-cancer-c181180714. Accessed August 30, 2025; (b) Shane Jackson, “Mike Napoli hits homer for fan with cancer,” MLB.com, May 30, 2016, https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-napoli-hits-home-run-for-fan-with-cancer-c181188358. Accessed September 1, 2025; (c) Jack Meisel, “A hug, a homer, and a happy fan,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 01, 2016, page B17; (d) “Mike Napoli crushes a homer for a fan about to start chemotherapy,” Fox Sports, May 31, 2016, https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/mike-napoli-crushes-a-homer-for-a-fan-about-to-start-chemotherapy. Accessed September 12, 2025.

6. (a) Andrew Joseph, “The Indians’ Mike Napoli hit two home runs for a fan with cancer,” USA Today Sports, June 2, 2016, https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/06/02/cleveland-indians-mike-napoli-hit-two-home-runs-fan-cancer-mlb/81850480007/. Accessed August 30, 2025; (b) Jordan Bastian, “Napoli homers for fan with cancer—again,” MLB.com, June 2, 2016, https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-napoli-homers-for-fan-with-cancer-again-c181633134. Accessed September 12, 2025.

7. Kat Heintzelman, “Cleveland Indians’ ‘Fan of the Year’,” MLB.com, September 4, 2016, https://www.mlb.com/video/fan-of-the-year-heintzelman-c1135618683. Accessed September 12, 2025.

8. “Kat Heintzelman, Tribe Fan Who Got ‘Hug and a Homer’ from Nap, Cancer Free,” The Guard Post, November 29, 2016, https://guardspost.mlblogs.com/kat-heintzelman-tribe-fan-who-got-hug-and-a-homer-from-nap-cancer-free-82a664a601fe. Accessed September 12, 2025;

9. Kat Heintzelman, “Retired, Nana, baseball fan, Christian and BADASS cancer survivor, Instagram, March 8, 2025, https://www.instagram.com/kattribe4life/. Accessed September 12, 2025.