Twenty-one years ago, Todd Frazier was a member of the New Jersey team that won the Little League World Series. Frazier led off the championship game with a home run for Toms River and struck out Japan's final batter to nail down the title.
Frazier, now a member of the New York Mets, will give back to his hometown July 27 by presenting a $50,000 check to Toms River's Field of Dreams, a sports complex opening in the fall that will cater to children and adults with special needs, the Asbury Park Press reported.
Field of Dreams founder Christian Kane said Frazier was eager to give back to Toms River.
"It was more of a family decision, which was great," Kane, who has known Frazier since he was a youth, told NJ.com "His desire to be a part of this shows what kind of man he is."
Kane began the Field of Dreams project after his then-19-month-old son, Gavin, suffered a brain injury in a car crash in 2012, the Press reported. Kane and his wife, Mary, have raised more than $2 million for construction of the sports complex.
The third baseman's donation was for the naming rights for what will be called the Todd Frazier Special Needs Baseball League, the newspaper reported.
"We've been back and forth talking about this, and Todd had mentioned to myself and my wife that he and his wife (Jackie) were looking to do something in the community that was big,'' Kane told the Press. "And what he meant by big was something not just in regards to baseball. And when I presented him with this opportunity he said, `This is what my wife and I were looking for. We are looking to give back to the community and this is the perfect fit for us.'"
Frazier will present the check to the Kanes at Citi Field in New York, the newspaper reported.
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