The overall impact Mo Gaba had on the state of Maryland and its sports fans is truly one of one.
Former Orioles and Yankees reliever Zack Britton, who spent more than a decade in the big leagues, highlighted the impact Mo left on those he came in contact with on Glenn Clark Radio Nov. 29.
“He was close with a lot of guys on the team, so it wasn’t just me,” said Britton, who pitched for the Orioles from 2011-2018. “I felt like we were all impacted with how blessed we are with our opportunity and the health of our family and our friends, but here’s this young kid — he loves us. He follows us all the time.”
Mo faced several battles with cancer throughout his life, the first of which left him blind. He died in 2020 at the age of 14. Mo was a fan of both the Orioles and Ravens, and he became a staple of both organizations after his story became known, as detailed here.
Britton said Mo changed his life for the better.
“We had this crazy impact on his life, but he didn’t really realize that he had more of an impact on us than we would ever have on him,” the future Orioles Hall of Famer said.
Former Orioles star Trey Mancini held a tight relationship with Mo and his mother Sonsy. When Mancini was struggling in 2018, he cleared his head during the All-Star break. To do so, he hung out with Mo. Mancini’s batting average rose nearly 30 points by the end of the year.
Just a little time with Mo changed his perspective on how minimal his struggles in baseball were in the big picture of life.
“If somebody can stay that positive, then you know your problems in life aren’t too tough,” Mancini told PressBox in 2019.
Mo also left an impact on the Ravens organization and the NFL as a whole. In 2019, Mo became the first person in NFL history to announce a draft pick using Braille.
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta became aware of how special Mo was at one of the team’s practices. By reaching down and greeting Mo, DeCosta was planning on introducing himself, but Mo knew exactly who he was based on the sound of his voice, despite not being able to see him.
The player Mo announced at the draft, offensive lineman Ben Powers, was touched by the interaction the two shared. Mo knew who he was before Powers told him his name.
Britton said that Mo had a superpower that allowed him to know and remember everyone he met, simply by listening to them.
“You could talk to him and he knew who you were,” Britton said. “It killed me inside every time how amazing that was.”
Many who had the chance to meet Mo felt the same way and got a boost by interacting with him.
“It was just an amazing opportunity to have ever met him,” Britton said. “Every time he was around, just the joy that he brought, it made me feel so good.”
However, many of the people he interacted with were saddened by the fact that they could not do much to help Mo’s condition.
When Mo’s condition worsened, Britton said Mancini kept him in the loop. Britton recalled the night Mo died, on July 28, 2020. Britton, then with the Yankees, was preparing for a game at Camden Yards when he noticed something.
“The sky was insane — the orange, purple haze going on. Then I found out basically that was the time [Mo] passed away,” Britton said, trying to cope with how surreal the moment was. “I can’t explain it. To this day, it’s crazy it’s what the sky was [like] at that moment.”
For more from Britton, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox