SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – In Sarasota, a man who once struggled with homelessness is celebrating a moment few people ever experience: standing on a Major League pitcher’s mound.
Richie Moon recently threw the ceremonial first pitch at a game for the Baltimore Orioles, marking a powerful milestone in a journey shaped by hardship, resilience and poetry.
Moon said writing helped him process some of the most difficult chapters of his life.
While experiencing homelessness and battling mental health challenges, he began putting his experiences on paper, turning pain, loneliness and survival into poetry.
Today, those words tell a different story.
It is one of healing and belonging.
Finding a voice through poetry
Moon said poetry gave him the confidence to speak openly about what he endured while living on the streets.
“I’m pretty good at it and I’m happy that I’m good at it,” Moon said. “I’ve been reading it a lot and I’m very happy that I can write poetry now.”
For years, he struggled with unstable housing and often spent time at a local park.
With help from Second Heart Homes, Moon was able to move into supportive housing and connect with services that helped him rebuild his life.
Executive Director Megan Howell said Moon once shared something she will never forget.
“The worst part of being homeless is being lonely,” Howell said.
She said Moon’s life today looks very different.
“When you look at Richie’s life then versus now, you see that he is no longer lonely,” Howell said. “People look up to him. There is belonging happening and healing, and that is what we seek to achieve.”
Preparing for the pitch of a lifetime
Moon practiced for his big moment on local Little League fields, warming up his arm and imagining the day he would take the mound.
That moment came when he stepped onto the field to throw the ceremonial first pitch before an Orioles game.
The opportunity came with support from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation.
Foundation President and CEO John Brothers said the crowd immediately connected with Moon.
“There’s no way you see Richie and not fall in love with him,” Brothers said. “His story is amazing.”
A moment bigger than baseball
For Moon, the day was about more than baseball.
“This was like the best day of my life,” he said. “All my friends are here, I got to meet the Orioles mascot, and this has been the greatest day of my life.”
Moon said he is still writing his next chapter, one verse at a time.
He also told ABC7 that this was one of the most meaningful parts of the experience was hearing how proud his father is of him.
His dad echoing that same sentiment, the moment an honor, he never imagined for his son and a reminder of how far Moon has come.
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