Beaumont siblings turn Banana Ball moment viral

Fifteen years after Lamar Sparks and his little sister, Jency, first “ran” the bases together after his Texas Little League games, the Beaumont, Texas siblings have turned the childhood tradition into one of Banana Ball’s most beloved moments.

Their latest celebration came at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

Before Sparks stepped to the plate, Jency wheeled her brother onto the field as Chamillionaire’s Houston anthem “Ridin’” blasted through the stadium speakers. Dressed in matching oversized white T-shirts, jeans and thick gold chains, the siblings leaned into the song’s famous lyrics before Sparks took his at-bat.

Moments later, the Beaumont native launched a home run.

Instead of jogging around all the bases, Sparks climbed onto the back of Jency’s wheelchair and let her carry him home as thousands of fans cheered from the stands.

Within just a few days, video of the celebration topped 4.4 million views on Instagram.

For many viewers, it was their introduction to the siblings. For others, it was a sequel.

Earlier this summer, Sparks and Jency drew attention after recreating the same celebration during a Firefighters game in Corpus Christi. That video has since drawn more than 9 million Instagram views, making it one of Banana Ball’s most memorable moments.

The story behind it began long before either video.

Growing up, Sparks noticed Jency watching other children run the bases after his Little League games.

“I kind of caught her looking out there at all the little kids running around,” Sparks recalled in a video shared by the Firefighters.

“So I jumped on the back of her wheelchair and drove her around the bases for the first time.”

Years later, while preparing for the Corpus Christi game his family planned to attend, Sparks came across an old childhood photo of the pair and wondered if they could recreate the moment.

He realized there was only one way to make it happen: He had to hit a home run. He did.

“As soon as I saw her coming out on the field, that’s when all the emotion and everything hit,” Sparks said. “Getting to sit back on that chair and listen to my family, my Firefighter family, the crowd in the stands, guys on the other team… getting to listen to them cheer, not just for me, but for her, was powerful.”

In an Instagram post after the game, Sparks said the celebration answered a question he hears often.

“I get a lot of questions on why I chose to play Banana Ball,” he wrote. “This weekend was a perfect example of why I chose this route.”

He explained that Jency always wanted to “run” the bases after his Little League games.

“So we would, as many times as she wanted,” he wrote.

“Fifteen years later, Banana Ball gave me the opportunity to relive this moment with her again, in a live game scenario.”

“Moments like these are why I chose Banana Ball and why I’ll play for as long as I can.”

He also thanked his younger sister.

“This is to you, Jency,” he wrote. “Thank you so much for being the little sister every older brother could only dream of having. Your smile, strength and love pick me up on my worst and best days. You are special to everyone you come in contact with. You make me so proud. I love you.”

The videos have resonated beyond the baseball world.

Parents of children with disabilities, wheelchair users, educators and siblings have filled the comments, sharing stories of their own families and saying the celebrations reminded them of loved ones.

Weeks later, the siblings recreated the tradition again — this time at Wrigley Field.

After the latest video spread across social media, Sparks admitted he never expected another moment could top the first.

“Wrigley, I don’t even know where to begin,” he wrote on Instagram. “I never imagined I’d be making another post that could top the first time I got to have my sister on the field during a game.”

He thanked everyone who helped make the moment possible before ending the post with another message to Jency.

“Jency, I am beyond proud of you.”

Sparks, a Beaumont native, was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth round of the 2017 MLB draft and spent several seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers’ minor league system before joining the Firefighters, one of the Savannah Bananas’ touring teams.

Between the two celebrations, videos of the siblings have been viewed more than 13 million times on Instagram.

What began as a brother making sure his little sister could “run” the bases after Little League games has become one of Banana Ball’s most memorable traditions, carrying the Beaumont siblings from neighborhood ballfields in Texas to sold-out stadiums across the country.