Sounds exciting, right?
Well, yes, it is. But it’s also…challenging, to say the least.
I met Mike in the off season of 2013, he had just been placed on the 40 man roster. This is huge to a minor leaguer because the 40 man is the roster of players that the affiliated major league team can call up to the big leagues! Of course, I had no idea what any of this meant when we first met.
I grew up watching football, not baseball. Oopsies! :p
Spring Training came around and he was off to the Royal’s facility in Surprise, Arizona. I had only flown once or twice before and never by myself. But if I wanted to see him I had to either hop on a plane or tackle the 8hr drive
(each way)…
To the airport I went! Back and forth from California to Arizona. This was a feat for me. I was such a nervous flyer, wasn’t sure what to do in the security line or where to go and why the hell is the airplane shaking?!
Oh, turbulence? Okay…
On April 7th, 2014 Mike got the call and was headed to the Majors!
(I was in my last semester of college working at Abercrombie when he called to tell me the news)
He made his major league debut on April 11th in Minnesota against the Twins.
Honestly, I probably ruined the excitement for him because I just kept asking a million questions. Like I said, I really knew nothing about baseball and didn’t even realize how
big of a deal it was.
From then on his career has been crazy.
Bouncing from team to team, getting DFA’d, clearing waivers, getting picked up, playing in the majors again, getting released…you name it, it’s happened. (See all those baseball terms I’ve picked up? 😉 )
Yes, life with a baseball player is exciting in every sense. I get to watch the love of my life live out his dream. I want him to have the best career possible and always be as proud of himself as I am of him. I’ve been around for 5 seasons now and I still find myself getting choked up in the stands when I see him out there. It’s so surreal. & I hope I never lose that feeling or take any of this journey for granted.
