It all started with a letter.

“Jon will be retiring from the U.S. Air Force July 1, 2018, after 20 years of active duty service,” wrote Jennifer Sullivan. “He has been on 7 deployments and a 1-year remote tour throughout his career, spending a total of 1,210 days away from our daughter Isabelle.”

When Jennifer Sullivan heard that the Houston Astros wanted a veteran to throw out the opening pitch at Military Appreciation Night, sponsored by Whataburger, she took the opportunity to nominate her husband, Master Sergeant Jon Sullivan of Katy, Texas.

A retired veteran, a selfless father and a huge Astros fan, Jon was the perfect candidate.

“Hardworking, dedicated, selfless, and determined are just a few words to describe my husband,” she wrote. “He does whatever he can to help anyone especially his family.”

Jon and Jennifer are the parents of 11-year-old Isabelle and 2-year-old Brayden, both of whom were on hand the night of July 5 when their father walked out to the pitcher’s mound to open the game against the Chicago White Sox.

Last year, almost 2 million people came out to share in the excitement of Major League Baseball’s Cactus League Spring Training in Phoenix, Ariz.

And while fans are there for the baseball – there are more than 250 games in the area in just a few weeks – quite a few make sure to stop in at Whataburger.

Brian Clute grew to love Whataburger when he was a college student in Arizona, where his dad still lives.

Now, he and his son, Thomas, live in Camas, Wash. – without a Whataburger in sight. So when they came down to Arizona for Spring Training and a visit with Thomas' grandfather this year, Brian made sure all three generations stopped in for some Whataburger.

“I’m here with my dad and my son to watch some Spring Training and eat some Whataburgers,” he says.

Fueling Up

Whataburger has been part of the Phoenix landscape since 1962, and there is a restaurant less than a mile from Tempe Diablo stadium, which means the store is often jammed with baseball-hat-wearing fans enjoying a meal together before or after a game – not to mention players who stop in to fuel up.

Sometimes the Family Members working at the restaurant get a little star struck – and sometimes their own families do. “We have the players coming in before and after they play,” says Deatrice Burden, who works at the restaurant by the stadium. “My son, Isiah, thinks it’s cool. He’s 10, and he’s like ‘Can I come to work with you today to see the baseball players?’ “

At the Game

On the field, Whataburger is part of the excitement too, sponsoring teams and setting up booths at games to pass out coupons and share in the fun with fans.

“It’s great for us to be a part of it all,” says Haley Proulx, a brand development coordinator for Whataburger. “We’re baseball fans too, so being out at the games – connecting with our fans there – it’s such an important way for us to be able to give back to the community.”