This tweet on Oct. 3 by Oakland Athletics pitcher Pat Neshek put a lot into perspective:

Please pray for my family.Tonight my wife & I lost our first & only son 23 hours after he was born with no explanation.

— Pat Neshek (@PatNeshek) October 4, 2012

Gulp! Sigh! Pit in stomach! Sadness ensues!

It’s the worst nightmare for any parent. Even those who are not parents can understand the incredible grief that comes with this type of heart-wrenching story. We're reminded again that sports might be a fabric of our society, but there are things bigger and more important than the outcome of a game.

Here are some tweets after Pat did the unthinkable and pitched against the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the ALDS just three nights later:

Fox Sports: MLB - @MLBONFOX
“One of the most inspirational moments in sports!”

Chris Rose - @ChrisRose
“My heart hurts watching Pat Neshek pitch, knowing what he and his wife went through this week.”

Curt Schilling - @gehrig38
“My ankle was a scratch compared to what Pat Neshek just did, not even in the same universe. God Bless him and his wife.”

Brett Anderson - @BrettAnderson49
“Regardless of the outcome... one of the most inspiring things I’ve seen on a baseball field was @PatNeshek pitching in a game today.”

Brody Brazil - @brodiebrazilCSN
“Thanks to @PatNeshek tonight, for providing one of the most inspirational moments I’ve ever seen in sports.”

Jon Morosi - @jonmorosi
“Fans of the A’s, Tigers, baseball, sports and humanity should be awed and inspired by what @PatNeshek did tonight. True courage.”

The hard part for the Nesheks is still to come as they grieve the loss of their son. I urge anyone reading this to go to visit this website: http://www.theaubribrownclub.org/.

The Aubri Brown Club is a 501(c)3 non-for-profit organization that exists to help families who have lost a child. It was founded by Director of Jr. Sharks and former San Jose Sharks forward Curtis Brown and his wife Ami.

Curtis is an amazing person who always has a smile on his face and is as genuine as it gets. Curtis and Ami have an amazing family and a very inspirational story to tell. You can also follow The Aubri Brown Club on Twitter, @AubriBrownClub.

When you visit the website, take the extra couple of minutes to donate to this tremendous cause. Every little bit counts and will help families who have lost a child.

Lastly, here is the most recent tweet from Pat from Tuesday night:

So proud to have great supporting fans & friends. You have all helped me in my darkest hours. Amazed thinking about how good mankind can be.

— Pat Neshek (@PatNeshek) October 10, 2012

Amen to that! God Bless the Nesheks during this time of grieving.