Young Venezuelan fan meets Wilyer Abreu after catching home run ball in Miami

Venezuela is on its way to its first ever World Baseball Classic final, where the team will square off against the United States at loanDepot Park in Miami.

But the team made dreams come true even before that, when a young fan from Orlando got a special surprise from right fielder Wilyer Abreu.

Jesús Ocanto was in the stands when Abreu hit the home run that let Venezuela take the lead and eventually eliminate Japan during the quarterfinal game. The stadium erupted, and Arturo Ocanto, Jesús’s father, went for the ball.

It wasn’t quite a clean catch, Jesús told NBC6, but he was able to pick the ball up off the floor, and the rest is history.

NBC6 was there when Abreu met with the father and son before Venezuela’s semifinal match against Italy.

“How are you, Jesús, you good?” the MLB star asked a shy Jesús and his beaming father in Spanish, shaking both their hands.

“I brought you guys this, a bat of appreciation for bringing me the ball,” he said.

Abreu signed a glove, Venezuelan flag and another ball for the family to keep, along with the bat. He took home the ball that he sent flying into the stands.

Jesús described the experience as a “dream.”

“We know that this ball [represents] a victory for all of Venezuela, not just for us,” Arturo Ocanto said. “We know Venezuela needed this good news, and thank you to Wilyer Abreu for hitting it, and thank you to God for giving us the opportunity to be here.”

At the very end of their exchange, Arturo Ocanto asked Abreu for any words of wisdom, telling him Jesús had been playing baseball since he was 3 years old.

“Keep on giving it your all, work hard, because God rewards that work, and trust your talent,” he replied.

Venezuela will face the United States in the World Baseball Classic final on Tuesday at 8 p.m.