{"id":57303,"date":"2025-05-27T01:10:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T01:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/57303\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T01:10:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T01:10:08","slug":"a-mothers-first-pitch-honors-late-sons-legacy-at-coors-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/57303\/","title":{"rendered":"A mother&#8217;s first pitch honors late son\u2019s legacy at Coors Field"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>DENVER \u2014 This past weekend at Coors Field, the first pitch wasn\u2019t just a ceremonial toss \u2014 it was a moving tribute to a young man whose life, love for baseball, and selfless choice continue to impact others.<\/p>\n<p>Allison Vogel stood on the pitcher\u2019s mound with a heart full of memories, throwing a strike in honor of her late son, Tanner. A lifelong Colorado Rockies fan, Tanner\u2019s connection to the game began at age 2 with a plastic bat and tee ball set. That love only grew \u2014 from Little League to college ball, and eventually coaching. His first Rockies game, at just 5 years old, was unforgettable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe actually caught a ball from the outfield,\u201d Vogel remembered with a smile. \u201cI asked him if he wanted player autographs, and he said, \u2018No, I want Dinger\u2019s autograph.\u2019 So we chased Dinger all over Coors Field until we cornered him in an elevator.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Years later, Vogel found herself pitching to that same beloved mascot, this time in memory of Tanner \u2014 who, at just 15, made a decision that would define his legacy. <\/p>\n<p>Upon receiving his driver&#8217;s permit, Tanner registered as an organ and tissue donor. That simple act, symbolized by a small heart on his license, became a beacon of life for more than 120 people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation, and heal 75 lives through tissue donation,\u201d Cheryl Talley with Donor Alliance explained. \u201cIn Tanner\u2019s case, he did both. It\u2019s incredible the impact one person can have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to organizations like <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.donoralliance.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-cms-ai=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Donor Alliance<\/a> and Donate Life \u2014 proud sponsors of the Colorado Rockies \u2014 Tanner\u2019s story has helped raise awareness about the importance of registering as a donor. Today, more than 1,300 Coloradans are waiting for life-saving transplants.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a misconception that you have to be perfectly healthy to register,\u201d said Talley. \u201cBut anyone can sign up. Leave that decision to the doctors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Vogel, the journey has been one of healing. She\u2019s even met one of Tanner\u2019s kidney recipients, forming a friendship that brought comfort and connection.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s helped with the grief,\u201d she shared. \u201cTo see the lives Tanner touched, to know he\u2019s a hero to so many\u2014it means everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And yes, Vogel confirms with a smile: \u201cI threw a strike.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For more information about organ and tissue donation or to register, visit the <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.donoralliance.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-cms-ai=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Donor Alliance website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DENVER \u2014 This past weekend at Coors Field, the first pitch wasn\u2019t just a ceremonial toss \u2014 it&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57304,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2405],"tags":[4704,635,4705,4706,4707,5,4708,1004,1487,3995,167,52,4316,4703,4,168],"class_list":{"0":"post-57303","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-colorado-rockies","8":"tag-aaron-munoz","9":"tag-alan-trejo","10":"tag-andy-gonzalez","11":"tag-anthony-molina","12":"tag-austin-gomber","13":"tag-baseball","14":"tag-brendan-rodgers","15":"tag-brenton-doyle","16":"tag-bud-black","17":"tag-cal-quantrill","18":"tag-colorado","19":"tag-colorado-rockies","20":"tag-coloradorockies","21":"tag-elias-diaz","22":"tag-mlb","23":"tag-rockies"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/114577135732471697","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}