ARLINGTON, Texas — For as long as Charlie Morton can remember, his parents shared his dream. Not because it was their dream for Charlie to be a major league pitcher but because it was their son’s dream and they would do anything to help Charlie realize it.

After a long day of work at his accounting job, Chip Morton would come home and head to the backyard with Charlie. Chip would turn on the painter’s lights he bought from a hardware store, illuminating the Connecticut night and the pitcher’s mound, then he’d strap on catcher’s gear and crouch for a bullpen session.

Before American Legion summer baseball games, Jeanne Morton met her son in their backyard. Charlie picked up a wooden bat, his mom stood behind a net and they warmed up with a batting practice session, with Charlie lacing balls all over the wild grass field that was cut short enough for Charlie to find them on a walk-through.

Charlie is now 41. He is the father of four of his own children with his wife, Cindy. He didn’t need to become a father to realize the sacrifice his parents made for him — the cross-state drives for tournaments, the bullpen sessions, the money and time and resources necessary to allow Charlie to live a dream.

It was fitting, then, for Chip to be part of that dream on this road trip.

For the first time in the memory of any of the Orioles’ players, Baltimore held a dads trip, allowing fathers to join their sons on the team plane, at the team hotel and in the clubhouse after a win to share a beer and a smile.

After years of baseball-related treks in a sedan, they deserved the comfort of a major league road trip.

“It’s someone who cares, who knows you and cares, and you know that person is out there and has your back, is rooting for you,” Charlie said. “I think that’s probably a unique relationship that dads have with their sons, and sons have with their fathers. In a world where we’re all competing with other dudes in sports, in pro sports, we’ve all been competing since we were pups — ever since we put on the Little League uniform, we’ve all been competing against each other. Father, son, or the father figure, is one of the few people in this world who literally just wants you to overcome everything, right? And be better than they are.”

Chip has joined in dads trips before. When Clint Hurdle was Charlie Morton’s manager in Pittsburgh from 2011-15, the Pirates planned them a few times. But this is the first time since then that Charlie and Chip had the chance for a dads trip.

The idea came from former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde before he was fired. Although Hyde wasn’t there to enjoy it, his players appreciated the opportunity to share big league life with their parents. Coby Mayo recalled all the drives his dad, Keith, made with him from Coral Springs, Florida, to Miami and back.

This time, Keith didn’t need to drive. He boarded the team plane with his son from Baltimore to Texas and relaxed.

“They kind of live the moments through me a little bit, with pictures and me telling them how it goes, because it is very different how we travel from an everyday person,” Coby said. “So, him going through it with me, it was very fortunate. I have a lot of gratitude that he was fortunate enough to come on the trip, and he was a little shocked even. He knows how we travel, but I think he was still blown away by the whole process.”

Boyce Mullins, Cedric’s dad, made his son laugh on the plane when he wondered why no one was turning their phones to airplane mode.

“I was like, ‘No, you’re OK. Here’s the Wi-Fi and here’s how you connect to it,’” Cedric told his dad.

The trip also included a Tuesday batting practice session for the dads at Globe Life Field. Boyce said he surprised himself by swinging the bat pretty well. The last time he picked up a bat would’ve been to hit fly balls to a high-school-aged Cedric.

“It was fun,” Boyce said. “It was humbling when Matt Holliday came up and everything that he hit was a rocket.”

That’s what happens when one of the dads on the trip is a seven-time All-Star. But every one of these dads on the trip had a front-row seat on their sons’ journeys to the majors.

So we asked many of them questions to better detail the unique father-son bond in the Orioles clubhouse. The answers have been lightly edited for clarity and, in some cases, condensed.

Here’s what Baltimore’s dads had to say about a life watching their sons.

Chip Morton, Charlie’s dad

Do you remember the first time playing catch with Charlie?

Probably 2 or 3 years old. He was pretty precocious. He could hit a pitched ball when he was about 6, so we never let him play tee ball. More importantly, the first time I really had a catch with him, when he exhibited really natural movement, he was about 11. It’s like, “I’ve gotta really watch where this ball’s going.” It was interesting having him grow up and become a major leaguer.

What’s your clearest memory of one of his first games?

I videotaped all his games, Little League. I have a whole container of videotapes, which, I don’t know if they’re any good anymore, but I’ve got them. There are so many things I remember about him when he played Little League. You have to remember, he played Little League in Trumbull, Connecticut. They won the Little League World Series, and after they won, every little kid wanted to play baseball, so the competition was really good for New England.

In fact, roughly his age group produced three big league ballplayers. One is currently the general manager of Boston, Craig Breslow. Another was Jamie D’Antona. He played for Arizona. He just came up for a cup of coffee, but he made the big leagues. And then Charlie. For a small New England town, that’s a pretty good showing.

What was the most challenging part of Charlie’s career, and how’d he get through it?

No one is going to look at Charlie’s minor league statistics and say, “This guy had an 18-year major league career ahead of him.” He really had to work hard, and fortunately he was with the Braves, and they had a lot of confidence in him. If it happened once, it happened five times. I’d be in the stands watching Charlie in a minor league game, and he’d give up a game-losing home run or whatever, and I’d be shaking my head. A guy would come over and say, “Mr. Morton, let me introduce myself. I’m Joe Blow, I’m a scout for the White Sox and, let me tell you, he’s going to make it. Don’t worry, he’s going to make it.” I’d look at him and I’d say, “Really?” And he’d say, “Really. Don’t worry.” So, fortunately, the scouts knew a hell of a lot more than I did.

What makes you most proud as a dad?

I’m just as proud of him, if not more, for the way he comports himself. I watch him do these interviews and it’s like, wow. He amazes me too. He’s such a consummate professional. He’s such a great guy in the clubhouse. And I think that’s really important. It’s nice to have a long career, but I think he’s got a lot of respect from players. I remember a couple years ago, he hit [Pete] Alonso, and there were some questions if he meant to do it. He went right into the clubhouse and talked to Alonso, and I think that’s the kind of thing that people respect.

If he wasn’t a ballplayer, what would Charlie be doing?

The amazing thing about Charlie is he has so many talents. He’s a really good guitar player. When he was playing minor league ball, all the guys would get together and they’d play video games. He came home after the season, and I said, “Charlie, why don’t you do something productive with your time? Why don’t you teach yourself to play the guitar?” I just happened to have my Gibson guitar from my college days, in mint condition, and I let him use it. He got to be so good that guys that he played with would ask him to teach them how to play the guitar. Of course, Charlie would say sure. They’d go buy a guitar, then they’d try to play and it was like, they didn’t appreciate how hard it was. I got the guitar back and it wasn’t in the condition I gave it to him, but that’s OK.

Allen Henderson, Gunnar’s dad

First catch?

I’m sure he was around 2, old enough to maybe not wear a glove but catch the ball with his hands somewhat. Went from there. We used to always play catch in the foyer with the reaction balls you can buy with the knobs on them, so it bounces everywhere. Always had plenty of energy and he always loved practicing.

Early game memory?

Tee ball, it’s all for fun, and just having a good time. I guess with him, practicing from such an early age, by the time he got to tee ball he was somewhat disappointed that it was as unorganized as it was, with kids running everywhere, chasing grasshoppers and you name it. He just wanted to play baseball.

When did you realize Gunnar had a chance to be really good?

Probably when he was in about 10th grade, when he started having some invites to Area Code baseball, Under Armour events, things like that. Being from a small town, you don’t really know sometimes how good they really are until you have a chance to compare them to other kids across the nation. At that point, you look around and think, Some of these guys are supposed to be the top guys in the nation. And in my mind, I was thinking, They don’t really look much better than Gunnar does. Maybe he has a chance.

Hardest moment?

Probably around the time he hit High-A Aberdeen and went through a pretty sizable slump there. That’s the first time he ever really got knocked back. Having the persistence to figure it out and get through it with everybody looking at you, and some people wanting you to fail but a lot of people wanting you to succeed, and just being able to manage things on and off the field as well as he did.

Proudest moment?

There’s a lot of them along the way, but probably his debut game in Cleveland, doing as well as he did there offensively and defensively. Thinking back to when he was a little guy in the backyard, and making it through all those different steps.

If not baseball, what?

I would say, as far as sports, he could’ve gone a long ways in football. He was a good basketball player, but he’s not 6-foot-10. But I think he could’ve been a really good football player too.

Paul Westburg, Jordan’s dad

First catch?

Actual catch, probably 3 years old. We had a little glove that we put on his hand. But when he was a baby and in the crib, and he’d wake up for milk in the middle of the night, I’d go in and give him his bottle. He would hold the crib and I would dump little rubber golf balls in his crib, and I’d be on the floor like, “Throw it to me, Jordan,” to wear him out to go back to sleep. He would rifle them. It was from the earliest point. He would walk around the grocery store in Rawlings plastic spikes that were five sizes too big, and he was so proud to have cleats on, you know?

Early game memory?

I was his coach for all that stuff. He took the games really seriously, just like he is now. Like, “Jordan, it’s OK to smile. Have a good time.” But he just loved it, and even in tee ball, he just wanted to win. He was like, “What’s the score?” We’re not keeping score. That was him.

Proudest moment?

There’s a lot of them. I like to say I’m a man of faith, so some of my proudest moments are when I see him wearing even in public a “Jesus Won” shirt, because it’s deeper than the game. But I built a batting cage in the side of our house, and some of my greatest memories are me and him. I’m throwing to him, and he’s hitting. Two balls, two strikes, two outs, guy on third, I need you to get a base hit. That kind of stuff.

Hardest moment?

His most challenging was his freshman year at Mississippi State. He was recruited by a coach who then became the athletic director. Then Andy Cannizaro, he got fired. So now Jordan was on his third coach as a freshman. He called me and said, “I’m an afterthought here, Dad.” He got through it and, by the end of that year, he was in Omaha playing [in the College World Series]. He stuck through it. I wanted to be a dad. I wanted to say, “Hey, do you want me to make some phone calls? I know there are coaches who would take you.” But, no, he persevered. And I’m really proud of him for that.

If not baseball, what?

He would either be competing in cross-fit things, or he’d be trying to get into special forces.

Boyce Mullins, Cedric’s dad

First catch?

About 4 or 5 years old. His interest in baseball came about in the weirdest way. His play aunt bought him a golf set, with small golf clubs. I had him in the backyard while I was washing dishes, looking at him, and I remember him throwing the ball up and hitting the ball with the golf club. He was 4 years old. I told my wife to come look at it. I said, “You know what? I’ll be back.” I went around to Walmart and got one of the little Velcro sets, and that’s what we started playing catch with.

First game?

He was 5 or 6. I got forced into coaching. I’d say he was playing with the Red Sox at that time. I remember all 18 of the kids being out on the field at the same time in tee ball, and it was fun.

When did you realize Cedric had a chance to be really good?

When one of his coaches, when he was maybe 8 or 9 years old — and I know that’s early — but I overheard that coach say, “I’ve got two kids here who I could see going to the pros.” I was like, Dude, they’re 8. It was Cedric and a little kid named Sanchez. I’ll never forget it. I was like, Is this guy smoking? Does he really need to be on this team? And I started observing Cedric and he did seem a little advanced for the age group. And it just kind of rolled on from there.

Hardest moment?

Probably when he got sent down to Triple-A and then Double-A. One of the things we always talked about was just putting another log on the fire, and don’t let anything overwhelm you. Just make it a little bit hotter and push and push. He always had a battle to get where he was. He always had to grind. But I think going back down was unexpected, because that was really his first taste of failure. He just made the decision that this wasn’t going to be the last time they see me, and he just kept grinding.

Proudest moment?

His academics really made me proud of him. Cedric could’ve gone to almost any school academically. He was 3.8, 3.85, something like that in high school. Mastered math and really enjoyed math, and I enjoyed seeing him enjoy academics. When he said, “I know I can go anywhere, but I want to go somewhere to play baseball,” and he put everything into the school being a baseball school, I realized he knew what he wants. He’s not giving up.

If not baseball, what?

Probably engineering. His math skills are well above mine. They’re on par with his mom, because his mom is an engineer. She went to Spelman and Georgia Tech on a dual degree. I could see him doing either that, or possibly sports business, sports management.

Keith Mayo, Coby’s dad

First catch?

He was the youngest of four kids, so he was always around the fields. It was as soon as he could pick up a ball, and it was usually a daily thing with him. Probably 2. I grew up loving baseball, so knowing my kids enjoyed it and wanted to play, it was a good feeling.

Early game memory?

Probably something he wouldn’t like me to share, but it was coach pitch. You got five pitches and then had to go to the tee. I threw him the five pitches and he didn’t hit it, so I put the tee up. He kicked the tee away and told me he wasn’t a baby. I basically said, “So hit the ball and you don’t need to use the tee.”

Proudest moment?

Either the Under Armour All-American Games or the Perfect Game showcase in San Diego. Or the Under Armour at Wrigley. Those stood out.

When did you realize Coby had a chance to be really good?

When he got into high school. I saw him really develop.

Hardest moment?

His first at-bat in spring training, he dislocated his patella. Everybody else went to Delmarva, and he stayed behind. He grew a lot because he got to watch and learn. For him, it felt like that was probably a sign. Even though it was bad, it turned out good for him.

If not baseball, what?

Playing football. He was a quarterback.

Dale Cowser, Colton’s dad

First catch?

You get those little Nerf sets of bat and ball when he was young, and I remember he picked up a bat left-handed for the first time and swung left-handed in our den. I was like, “Oh, that’s interesting.” But, when he’d throw the ball, it was always right-handed. As far as playing catch, I remember 4-year-old tee ball. But he also has a brother, Ty, who’s four years older. Ty, being older, they would play catch. We had a portable mound in our backyard, and Ty pitched quite a bit, and Colton thought he could pitch a little bit, so they would pitch and catch and have all kinds of games they’d play, like striking out three before walking one, and I would be the umpire.

Early game memory?

Father’s Day when he was 10 years old, maybe. They were playing a Father’s Day tournament south of Houston, in the little town of Clear Lake. He hit his first home run ever. It was a 240-foot fence and he hit a home run over 240 at 10 years old, and I kind of went like, Oh, OK. And his hitting instructor, Sid Holland, was there. He looked at me like, That’s not normal. My first memory of him being good for his age was, he literally knocked the teeth out of a kid when he was 7. It was dad pitch, and the kid was standing there next to his dad, and Colton hit a line drive right into his teeth, and he stood over and his teeth fell out on the mound. At that point we realized he probably needed to stop playing in the rec league.

Hardest moment?

When he failed early in his major league career. Watching him go down as a parent was difficult. Watching him struggle, mentally as well as physically. But I also know he’s a big believer that, without failure, you can’t have success. The failure made him better the second time, learning from that. If you go through failure and don’t learn from it, then it was a wasted opportunity. Going through failure and growing is what it’s all about.

Proudest moment?

My proudest moment is he’s a better person than anything else. I couldn’t be prouder of the fact that both my boys, Ty and Colton, were raised by my wife and I, and they turned out better than I am. They’re incredible people, and they surround themselves with good people constantly to get that positiveness.

He’s always done that from a young age, surrounded himself by good people, made good choices in life, and of course everybody makes bad choices, but made really good choices in life and continues today to be a really good person. I’m more proud of that than any baseball stuff he could ever have.

If not baseball, what?

Some type of architect, engineering, construction. He’s a guy who likes to think and twiddle and build.