Sinking a fastball and raising spirits all part of Britton's day

Zach Britton did his usual work on the mound Sunday afternoon, preserving a lead in the ninth inning and recording his 17th save in as many opportunities. A couple of ground balls and a predictable result from the All-Star closer.

He woke up early the next morning, another game on the horizon, and offered a hand in the fight against a much tougher opponent. The competitive side bends toward the compassionate.

Britton and his wife Courtney are continuing their partnership with The Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center of Pediatric Oncology. They bring gifts, with Britton stopping by the Oriole Store at Camden Yards to purchase stuffed animals, foam No. 1 fingers and anything else that might brighten their lives. The team contributes caps, slap bracelets, pillow pets and other items intended to bring a similar reaction.

There are mornings when I carry the blog conversation. There also are days when I'd rather step aside and let the subject do most of the talking, especially when it's coming from the heart.

Get to know Britton a little better by taking him off the field.

"I go over there a handful of times throughout the year, whenever I can. Just interact with the kids," Britton said yesterday while sitting at his locker in his familiar K Cancer T-shirt, his passion for the cause evident by his words and expressions. "The Orioles came with me. They had a bunch of stuff, too, and we handed it out. And get some of those kids outside their rooms. They have a little play area set up where the kids can go play basketball and play games, get in there and interact with them.

"Those kids are dealing with some hard stuff throughout the entire day, so it's nice to put a smile on their faces. Some of them are obviously pretty shy, but it's nice to try to get them out of their shell. Especially having a young son now, I feel like I have a better understanding for getting out there and interacting with kids, what they like to do. And I get the opportunity to go up to some of the rooms for kids who can't leave their hospital beds yet. They're all pretty touching, and when you get to see these kids, the ones who are in bed, and you can see they're going through some tough times right there, you really want to try to cheer up their day.

"It's tough. A lot of those kids, they're not feeling good and no matter what you do, you're not going to make them feel any better, but you want to get in there, and the Orioles do a good job of bringing some stuff. We give them a bunch of cool things and it puts a smile on their faces for a brief moment. If anything, just take their mind off, maybe even for a second, just what their dealing with, and I think that's the whole goal. Just let them know it's not just their immediate family and the nurses. There are other people who really care about these kids and want them to get better.

"It's not just me as a representative, but a lot of people throughout the world are looking for a cure and want to help these kids out. It's just donating time and donating money and trying to find a cure for these terrible diseases that no kids those ages should ever have to deal with, let alone the adults. When you see it on young kids who haven't gotten the opportunity to experience anything yet in life, I think it just crushes you."

Britton spent a few hours at the center, as usual, and tried to interact with as many kids as possible. He wore his orange Orioles jersey and slipped on a gown when visiting with some of the patients confined to their beds. Later that night, he retired the Royals in order in the ninth for his 18th save, shifting back into baseball mode.

"When I get there, they always have kids signed up who want to come and hang out and meet, and then they have a certain amount of rooms where I can go up and talk to these kids. But every time I get to a floor, it seems like a nurse always asks me, 'Hey, there's another kid who didn't sign the waiver, but can you come in?'" Britton said.

"I get there pretty early in the morning and as many kids who want to see me, I'm willing to go in, talk to them and hang out. That's the big thing. I just want to spend some time with them. Sometimes, they're around their families for so long, it's just kind of a fresh face. I go in there and try to brighten up the room a little bit. The big kick is when we bring the Oriole Bird. I think they like the Oriole Bird more than me, but ...

"I think it's an important thing to do. Me and my wife have always wanted to find something that we could give our money and our time to. And I think now that we have a young son, we've found that doing things for them is really important."

Zander Lee Britton was born in October 2014. Britton's heart always ached for the children and their families at Johns Hopkins. Now, it's really personal.

"I think it's tough," he said. "You look at some of the parents and how tired they are and never being in those shoes, hopefully never have to be, but you see how exhausted the parents are and you feel for them. I know how much I love my son. Even a little thing. He falls down on the ground and I'm checking him out, let alone something that you have completely no control over. I think it's just devastating. And the little ones, I mean, there's 3- and 4-month-old babies that have brain tumors and you're like, 'Why does this happen? Why does this happen to people like that who are so innocent?' They haven't even gotten to enjoy anything in life.

"The hardest part is knowing that they just think that's how life is supposed to be. They don't know that life's not supposed to be lived with these diseases and these illnesses. You just pray that there's a cure down the road. No matter how much time and money that we can donate to figure out a way to beat this, especially for those little kids.

"It's really, really tough to go there and then come back and be in a clubhouse where everything's here for you and we're all really fortunate. I think it really hits home."

Britton will be back. More gifts in hand, more time and affection to share. He may close out another game first, but he's saving his best for later.

"I love to do it," he said, "but I wish I never had to do it."

Photos by Todd Olszewski, Baltimore Orioles