Milwaukee City Wire

The Milwaukee Brewers readily admit their minds were somewhere else when they first took the field against the Pittsburgh Pirates at American Family Field.

Hanging in the team’s dugout was a special No. 22 jersey teammates created to honor 8-year-old Brewers fan Cooper Roberts, who was recently paralyzed in the July 4 Highland Park, Illinois, parade mass shooting.

“(He's) a Brewers fan, and we want to show support for him and his family and the incredibly difficult times that they are facing,” manager Craig Counsell told Major League Baseball's website. “Know that we’re happy he’s a Brewers fan, and we want to recognize that and let their family know that we are thinking about them.”

Authorities say Roberts was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the chest and is now in and out of consciousness after undergoing multiple surgeries. His mother and brother also suffered minor injuries.

The family has now established a GoFundMe to help the family with what spokesperson Tony Loizzi described as “the obvious ongoing treatment and therapy that Cooper will need.” As of July 14, the fund had raised more than $1.5 million.  

Brewers officials added the team is now talking to the family about a meeting for Cooper and his favorite players when the time is appropriate.

The Brewers took down the Pirates in their series opener, 4-3, before dropping the next two games of the three game set. The team bounced back to win their first game in a two-game series against the Twins, 6-3. The two faced off again on July 13, where the Brewers lost 4-1, before the Brewers will embark on a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants.