It’s been a year to remember for veteran utilityman Jurickson Profar, who has finally pieced it all together for the San Diego Padres. Although Profar has turned heads all season, it was his 7-year-old son Khairy who was the talk of the MLB before Monday night’s matchup against the Detroit Tigers.

Even with the return of Fernando Tatis Jr. to the San Diego Padres lineup, it was Jurickson Profar’s son who stole the show on Monday. Khairy may have a career in professional baseball ahead of him after throwing out a perfect ceremonial first pitch at Petco Park in San Diego.

“Jurickson Profar’s 7-year-old son Khairy fired a perfect strike while throwing out a first pitch prior to last night’s @Padres game,” MLB tweeted.

Khairy was born in Dallas, Texas in 2017 when his father was a member of the . The ceremonial first pitch was extra special as it was Jurickson himself who served as the catcher for his son’s throw.

The bond that Jurickson has with his son is something to behold and one that has provided the veteran with motivation. Earlier this season, after Jurickson was named to the All-Star team, he explained that it was his dream to reach the Midsummer Classic so Khairy could watch him participate.

“I don’t care about the individual stuff, I really don’t. But for my son? It would just mean everything,” Profar told AJ Cassavell of Padres Beat.

As fate would have it, after 11 seasons in the MLB and spending time at four different clubs, Profar finally earned an All-Star selection with the, much to the enjoyment of his son Khairy.

Jurickson Profar has been enjoying a breakout season for the Padres

Although Profar was considered a top prospect coming into the MLB, he struggled to reach the heights some believed he could have. While it’s worth noting that Profar showed some flashes of his potential, he struggled to consistently perform at that level until this year. In the absence of stars such as ., Profar has been a shining light for San Diego.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the 31-year-old Profar has been better than ever this year. En route to his first All-Star appearance, Profar has been a staple in the Padres lineup since Opening Day. Through 137 games this year, Profar has posted an impressive .280 batting average with 21 home runs, 81 RBIs and a career-high .841 OPS.

Edited by Glen Danquah