California man helps girl replace baseball card collection destroyed in wildfire

A California man delivered in the clutch for a girl who lost her baseball card collection in a wildfire.

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Nine-year-old Reese Osterberg, who lives in Fresno County, lost her 100-card collection when her home was destroyed in the Creek Fire, KNTV reported. A diehard San Francisco Giants fan, Osterberg and her friends were devastated when their collections were destroyed.

“One of the first questions (the kids) asked was -- ‘What about my baseball cards?’ This is near and dear to their heart so this is an opportunity to replace some of the cards they lost,” Cal Fire Battalion Chief Seth Brown told KFSN.

“I was sad because I’m a huge fan. My favorite was Buster Posey," Osterberg told the television station. “I like him because he’s the catcher.”

That is when Kevin Ashford of San Jose quickly stepped up to the plate.

Ashford heard about Cal Fire’s regional drive to collect cards and donated approximately 25,000 of them, KGO reported.

Ashford’s collection includes baseball cards from the late 1990s to the present.

“I got to thinking about what I had in the garage,” Ashford told KNTV. “I thought, ‘You know, what of instead of selling them on eBay, I’m going to donate them. I’m gonna donate them all and put a smile on a little girl’s face.’”

A team of first responders showed up at Ashford’s home to take the cards to Osterberg and her friends.

“They’ll be all organized, they can thumb through these, and you know, have at it, and they’re going to find some great cards in here," Ashford told KGO. “I already know that.”

Ashford also made sure that Osterberg received a Posey card.

“The Buster Posey card is in the box," Ashford told KGO. "I looked at it this morning, so that’s yours (Osterberg’s).”

Cox Media Group