Family Travels From New Zealand For Saints Game

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - It's called America's pastime, but one family of New Zealanders has definitely embraced baseball.

The Hemera family from Christchurch, New Zealand, made the more than 8,000-mile commute to catch a Saints game Tuesday night. It's a trip they make every summer.

Their love for the Saints actually began 12 years ago.

"I married a cute girl from Minnesota," Brian Hemera said. "When you come to the states, you have to try out various cultural things."

They've been to ballparks across the United States, but the Hemeras kept coming back to Midway Stadium during their summer vacation.

They saw the last Saints game there, and now they're taking in their first game at CHS Field.

"The good time, the friendliness, the family environment," Hemera said. "Hell of a lot of fun."

Back home, the Hemeras are part of a baseball movement in a country where rugby is king. More and more boys are leaving the rugby field for the baseball diamond, including their son, Jimmy.

"I'm a catcher," he said. "But I can play anywhere. I've recently started pitching as well."

And it's all because the Saints hit a home run with a family that lives an ocean away.

"I can't get Minneapolitans to come and visit me, so I'm going to be bragging about this for the next few days," Saints owner Mike Veeck said.

He said that he's seeing a lot of interest in baseball pick up across the world, in places like the Czech Republic and Italy.

He actually used to own part of a team in Australia.

This was Jimmy Hemera's seventh straight year of going to a Saints game.