On a baseball diamond about five miles from the southeastern shores of California’s Salton Sea, 12-year-old Christopher Leon steps up to the plate. Christopher plays for the Calipatria Braves, and tonight he’s the lead-off hitter in the game against the Calipatria Dodgers.
Mark Saiza,11, is on the pitcher’s mound for the Dodgers, and his brother Brayden Saiza, 10, crouches low, catching. Christopher’s bat connects with one of Mark’s pitches and he sprints to first base. As the game kicks off, the pitcher, the catcher and the first batter all compete despite having respiratory challenges.
