Returning soldier dons umpire gear to surprise son at game

CRYSTAL TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A U.S. soldier who had just returned home from overseas surprised his 8-year-old son from behind home plate as the boy stepped up to bat at a youth baseball game in Michigan.

Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Abbott wore an umpire's mask and chest protector along with his military fatigues Tuesday as his son Hunter stood in the batter's box. Abbott wished his son luck and the boy quickly recognized his father, who had been in Germany for about five months.

WOOD-TV reports Abbott and his fiancée had been trying to think of a way to surprise their kids with his return. The game in Montcalm County's Crystal Township, about 110 miles (177 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, proved to be the perfect opportunity.

Abbott says: "It seems like it worked."