Before Yoenis Cespedes’s first game back from the disabled list on Aug. 19 in San Francisco, he received a gift: a blue stuffed animal, a little dragon. Joyce Wilson, an Oakland Athletics season-ticketholder, gave Cespedes the present. Cespedes, the Mets’ star outfielder, does not know her name, but he does, in a real sense, know who she is.

And that’s because he and the 72-year-old Wilson, a resident of Napa, Calif., have gotten to know each other casually in the last few seasons, at least as well as a major leaguer can get to know some of the numerous fans they so often encounter.

Since Cespedes defected from Cuba and reached the majors with the Athletics in 2012, Wilson has often tried to say hello to him at games, wish him good luck, offer a hug and, sometimes, a small present. Other players have also been the recipients of her support.