Scouts from the U.K. and one Orioles player became fast friends, proving sports can bring people together.

A group of scouts from the United Kingdom made a special connection with an Orioles player this weekend in Baltimore. Members of the scouting group U.K. Contingent were in the U.S. for the 2019 World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia. On Sunday, August 4, the group came to the ballpark to watch the Baltimore Orioles play the Toronto Blue Jays. More than 4,000 Scouts filled the seats in left field and quickly made friends with O’s outfielder Anthony Santander.

Anthony Santander, who is originally from Venezuela, bonded with the new fans by tossing a baseball into the stands. From that moment on, the Scouts gave Santander loud applause whenever he caught a fly ball or made a play. The Scouts’ excitement for Santander quickly became a spectacle amongst all the other fans in the stadium. The new fans cheered loudly at every one of Santander’s at-bats, and he returned the favor by tossing a few more balls into the stands and waving to the crowds.

During the game, the scoreboard proclaimed the group the “Official International Anthony Santander Fan Club.”  A female fan even purchased a Santander jersey and proclaimed her love for the outfielder. In a post-game interview, Santander was asked what he thought of all the attention. 

“I’m very happy, thanks to them coming out. Thanks for their support. We won, and we won because of them,” he said through a translator. He was also asked if he knew about the fan who bought his jersey and he said, “Thank you, very thankful for that and I love her back.”

The fans at Camden Yards were just as smitten with the Scouts as for their enthusiasm towards Santander. The U.K. Scouts wanted to experience American sports culture and ended up turning it into one of the best games of the season in Baltimore.