A funny thing happened Wednesday night at Miller Park. Over the course of about three hours, the crowd of 32,992 began to realize that there is more to life than booing the Brewers beleaguered pitching staff and there is more to baseball than hitting slumps, losing streaks and daydreaming about the trading deadline.

A little boy and his dad showed the way.

Mackail McGehee -- the 2 1/2-year-old son of Brewers rookie Casey McGehee and his wife, Sarah -- threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. Hours later, he watched his father smack a two-run homer, the Brewers' first pinch-hit homer of the year, to spark a 7-5 victory over Washington.

As welcomed as that victory was by struggling club searching for something positive, this was a night when the scoreboard seemed secondary to a McGehee family story that seemed like it came right from a Hollywood screenplay.

Mackail McGehee has cerebral palsy, a brain disorder of unknown origin that will likely accompany him for the rest of his life. Brewers wives, led by Dana Suppan, the wife of right-hander Jeff Suppan, arranged the first pitch to commemorate the $50,000 they raised during a recent jersey auction.

While many in the park were settling into their seats, Mackail McGehee -- whom his parents call "Mack" -- went to the field with his gold walker, flanked by his father, who served as the catcher, and first baseman Prince Fielder, who was along to help.

"As a father, that's going to me a moment I remember for a long time," Casey McGehee said.

"He's something special. For him to go through what he's going through and be able to just keep plugging; you really don't even notice he's got anything wrong with him most of the time.

"He's been a big inspiration to me and the way some of the guys have taken to him, stuff like that, it's really special. If you'd have asked me a few years ago if I'd first of all even been on a big-league field, let alone be able to share it with my son in any way, shape, form or fashion, I'd have thought I was pretty lucky to have that happen. That was pretty special."

Although many of his teammates show affection for Mack, Fielder was an easy choice to help with the first pitch.

"(Mack) loves Prince," he said. "For some reason, kids love that guy. I don't know what they see in him. He really likes Prince. There are a lot of guys he really likes. I thought it would be cool to have somebody he would be comfortable with."

After beginning his pro career with Chicago, McGehee joined the Brewers via waivers last winter. Considered a long shot in spring training, he earned a roster spot with a strong camp and began to earn playing time.

"He's been a force for us," manager Ken Macha said. "For a guy battling for a position in spring training, he's done very well."

Switching teams is always an adjustment, but McGehee said the transition was easier than he had hoped.

"I think that's part of the reason this team is going to be good," he said. "Here I am, kind of the newcomer, a guy from another place, and from the first day of spring training everybody made me feel welcome.

"As silly as it sounds, the winter warmup we had -- a couple people made reference ‘Welcome to the family.' That's really what it is.

"For guys to have that much interest in what's going on in our family and be so supportive, I think shows why this team may be a little bit down right now, but we're definitely not done."

In a way, the same can be said for Mack.

"We've been really fortunate that there have been no signs of doing anything to his cognitive ability," Casey McGehee said. "As far as his speech and his understanding, he's way ahead of the curve. He has a tough time walking around on his own, but he's getting better."

The younger McGehee attends physical therapy sessions in New Berlin. Two of his therapists were on for the game Wednesday.

"It's funny how stuff works," Casey McGehee said. "We feel like the care we've gotten and some of the breakthroughs we've made since we've been here in Milwaukee have been outstanding. We all think why things happen some times.... Maybe they happen for a reason."

If the Brewers shake out of their current funk and go on to do something special this season, maybe the McGehee's memorable moment will be considered a turning point of the season. If not, it'll still be a lifelong memory for Casey and Mack, whose post-game cell phone exclamation "Good hit, Daddy!" was the best congratulations his father could have received.

"I play for him every time I walk out there," Casey McGehee said. "When it's all said and done, I hope he can look back and be proud of the way his dad went about his business. I feel like I'm going out there setting an example for him every time I'm out there, whether he's a weatherman, in baseball, or whatever it is that he does."