Skylar Mercado was 6 when his best friend, his father, FDNY Firefighter Steve Mercado, was killed while responding to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center. The elder Mercado, of Engine 40/Ladder 35, was 38.
Skylar, currently a shortstop with the United Shore Professional Baseball League, spoke with Tony Paul of The Detroit News on what would have been his father’s 55th birthday. Skylar, 23, recently took the FDNY firefighter test, but refers to firefighting as his Plan C. Plans A and B both involve baseball.
“My dad played growing up, he played softball for the firehouse, he introduced the game to me. He always thought I could become a major-leaguer one day,” Skylar told the reporter.
