Lars Nootbaar's Mom Steals the Show on Sunday Night Baseball

On Sunday Night Baseball this week, the ESPN crew surprised St. Louis Cardinals' outfielder Lars Nootbaar with a video chat with his mother, who was part of Mothers Day coverage.

The St. Louis Cardinals rolled the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night by a score of 9-1. The win completed a three-game sweep in Boston and moved the Cardinals to 16-25 on the season.

Even though the game featured home runs by Nolan Arenado and Paul DeJong, the real highlight came before the game when outfielder Lars Nootbaar got to video chat with his mom.

The ESPN crew pulled out all the stops for its Mothers Day coverage, surprising Nootbaar in an emotional pregame conversation.

Fox Sports baseball personality Ben Verlander tweeted the video, saying:

This is incredible. Lars Nootbaar was surprised by his mom during an interview while he was saying how she’s everything to him and his best friend. The emotion makes it so special. 

This is incredible.

Lars Nootbaar was surprised by his mom during an interview while he was saying how she’s everything to him and his best friend.

The emotion makes it so special. ❤️

pic.twitter.com/7qZNsL21V9

— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) May 15, 2023

Nootbaar certainly was emotional, tearing up at the sight of seeing his mother. His mom made the interview more special by saying "he's a crier."

The relationship between Nootbaar and his mother is well-documented, as Nootbaar played for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic to honor his mom's heritage. He ended up helping Team Japan to the title.

As for the game on Sunday? Nootbaar showed well there too, hitting a leadoff double to start the game. He ended up 3-6 on the night and is now hitting .302.

For his career, he's a .244 hitter with 22 homers, 68 RBI and 11 stolen bases.

The Cardinals will take their momentum back to St. Louis for a divisional clash with the Milwaukee Brewers. The series begins Monday at 7:45 p.m. ET.