Boston Red Sox rookie Tyler Samaniego’s hurried call-up from Triple-A Worcester was so last-minute that his family members weren’t able to make it to Fenway Park in time to see his MLB debut. However, that didn’t stop Samaniego from having family on his mind as he toed a major-league rubber for the first time — specifically, his deceased father.
“I was thinking about my dad,” Samaniego told MLB.com after the game. “I lost him (at 65 years old) at the end of the ‘22 season, and he’s the one that introduced me to this game.”
On a day Samaniego called bittersweet, awesome and emotional, he also joined rarified Red Sox air by becoming the first Boston pitcher since Don Aase in 1977 to record a strikeout on each of his first three career outs, per ESPN.
And he did with his dad both on his heart and on his glove. “Rip, Pops” is stitched onto his Rawlings glove.
“I know he was out there with me,” Samaniego said. “It was just awesome.”
When asked how his dad would have reacted to Wednesday’s showing, Samaniego joked, “I probably can’t say it on the microphone (what he would have said), but he would be fired up. He would have been ready. He would have come out here behind the dugout and would have had a beer.”
Samaniego entered in the eighth inning of Boston’s eventual 5-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out Sal Frelick before walking Garrett Mitchell and then striking out Christian Yelich and Jake Bauers in his one inning of work.
The Red Sox acquired the southpaw Samaniego in a December trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who drafted him in 2021. He spent six years climbing the ranks before Wednesday’s call-up, making 130 minor-league appearances.
After a strong showing in spring training, the 27-year-old got his shot in the big leagues after Boston placed Justin Slaten on the 15-day injured list.
That call came from Worcester WooSox manager Chad Tracy at 9:30 a.m., two hours after Samaniego woke up and four hours before the Red Sox’s first pitch. The 44-mile drive from Polar Park to Fenway is about a 50-minute commute along I-90 East, or as Massachusetts natives colloquially call it, the Mass Pike.
“It started off as a whirlwind,” he said. “I found out about like 9:30 this morning because we had the noon game in Worcester, so packed the locker up and headed straight here. It happened fast, but it’s been awesome.”
While his family couldn’t fly to Boston in time for his debut, Samaniego said they will be in St. Louis for the Red Sox’s three-game series against the Cardinals starting Friday.
And when asked if Wednesday was the best day of his baseball life, Samaniego offered a clarification: “It could be the best day of my life so far.”