A young Pirates fan experienced the emotional highs and lows . . . (Cuteness alert)

MLB . Com ^ | 18 July 2016 | By Adrian Garro

[Vigilanteman]

Baseball is a funny thing.

Investing time, energy and focus on a given team or game can bring out the innermost emotions of fans. The seemingly arbitrary on-field events can hold especially powerful emotional weight for the supremely invested, something to which most young fans can attest.

One young Pirates fan definitely can, and was caught on-camera riding the emotional rollercoaster in Sunday's tense affair with the Nats at Nationals Park that was eventually won by Pittsburgh, 2-1, in 18 innings. Early on, with the Bucs up, 1-0, this young man was feeling pretty good, throwing around high-fives and being the picture of enthusiasm:

[Vigilanteman]

This kid is about the same age as our oldest grandson. The video clips at the link are adorable.

[pgkdan]

Saw him on Fox and Friends this morning. Really cute kid, he was really into that game! 9 innings of 1-0 and then 8 more of 1-1. That was a long game! I didn’t get to see his reaction at the end though. I was very happy to see it end, even though my team lost!

[exit82]

Wonderful! Thanks for posting!

As a kid, I rooted for the NY Mets from 1964 to 1969.

I know these feelings!

[Lisbon1940]

I watched this live on At Bat, except for the innings I dozed through. Pirates’ play-by-play man Joe Buck was masterful describing the boy’s changing moods, with nice added commentary from color guy Steve Blass.

[Vigilanteman]

I was only a little older than this kid when the NY Mets broke my heart in 1969. That 1969 Cubs team was one of the best teams of all time to not make a World Series. I'd put them in the same class as the 1922 Browns, 1961 Tigers and 1927 A's. All incredibly talented teams who had the abject misfortune of playing in the same league as the greatest teams of all time.

Of course, I also rooted for the Mets once they were world series bound.

[exit82]

After they won the World Series, I figured the Mets didn’t need me anymore.

They weren’t the underdogs any longer.

Besides, I was 15 and ready for the next stage in life—girls!

[tomkat]

That was great .. thanks !

Aarrgghhhh !

[kosciusko51]

FYI, Joe Block, not Joe Buck. Buck’s the FOX Sport commentator.

[mountn man]

[NEMDF]

VERY VERY Cute! Thanks for posting.

[Lisbon1940]

Yes, Joe Block. He is new this year and is good in a Jon Miller way. Thanks for the correction.

[stylin19a]

Tommy Agee STILL hasn’t touched home plate.

[Vigilanteman]

J.C. Martin wasn’t really hit by the pitch either.

[stylin19a]

:) I’m Irish...I have a tendency to hold on to grudges...like Cromwell, for instance.

[Pelham]

I don’t blame you. That rat Cromwell stole my family’s estates.