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Focused and zoned in, it took a moment for the 8-year-old to notice who was walking toward the mound.
But when the youngster saw it was his dad, Lyndhurst native Steve Batista -- a U.S. Marine who had been on deployment in Afghanistan last September -- nothing mattered more than being in his arms.
"It was a very emotional day," said Ryan's mom and Steve's wife Jillian Batista, who picked the staff sergeant up at Picatinny Arsenal before high-tailing it to the game.
"So happy everything worked out and all the Marines made it back safely to their families."
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