Like many dedicated dads, Jim Chapman would carve time out from his busy schedule to throw his son Matt batting practice. It was a time for skills improvement and fun – for bonding. During those BP sessions, Jim, the owner of promotional products distributor Proforma Preferred (asi/300094), would tell Matt that he wanted to pitch to him if the boy ever made it to Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby.

On Monday, Jim Chapman got his chance.

A lad no longer, Matt Chapman has grown into a deft-fielding, home run-slugging All-Star third baseman for the Oakland A’s. When the Milwaukee Brewers Christian Yelich pulled out of the derby, a spot opened up for Matt. Did he want to compete, his agent asked?

You bet he did – and the first person he called was his dad. “Speaking of dreams come true, that’s my dad’s dream right there,” Chapman told The Mercury News. “When I was a little kid, we’d watch the Home Run Derby. I don’t think in a million years we thought I’d be in a home run derby.”

A's Matt Chapman selected as Home Run Derby replacement; his dad, Jim, will share in moment: “I’m excited and nervous at the same time. It’s so last minute, it’s kind of crazy. ... Matt and I have always talked about this, and the moment is finally here.” https://t.co/u2UFPrkGhW

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) July 7, 2019

But the one-in-a-million came to be. Chapman threw to Chapman at the July 8^th MLB All-Star Home Run Derby, which is an annual bracket-style competition between eight of the league’s top power hitters. Players compete to hit the most home runs in four minutes in exchange for a grand prize of $1 million.

Alas, Matt Chapman bowed out after the first round. His opponent, Vlad Guerrero Jr., set a record for home runs hit in a single round. Matt couldn’t match it.

Still, that didn’t take any shine off the day for Jim and Matt. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Jim spent the day with Matt during batting practice, soaking things in, and later joined his son in the clubhouse before the competition. To a reporter, Jim Chapman reflected on the first time he pitched to Matt. It was shortly after they’d moved into a new home. “We had no furniture at the time,” Jim told the Chronicle. “(I) threw him an underhand with a Wiffle ball, and he absolutely crushed it. It went into the next room. (Matt’s mom) and I just went, ‘Whoa.’ That’s when we knew that he had very good hand-eye coordination.”

For Matt, the derby was special – made so particularly because his dad pitched to him. “Just unbelievable,” he said. “You can’t put a price on it.”

According to Proforma, Jim Chapman has been in the printing and promotions industry since 1989. He began his own company in 1998. Proforma Preferred specializes in full color printing, labels and forms, promotional products, wearables, embroidery, and screen printing.