Darick Hall got the call he had long been waiting for this morning. The long journey to the major leagues had one final leg from Syracuse to Newark and then Philly. He was excited and pumped for the opportunity as is every player who gets their initial opportunity to play in the major leagues.
The feeling of pride and happiness my wife Barb and I feel when each of the young fellas that get “the call” is genuine and heartfelt. We know the effort that has been put into climbing the ladder, the downs of O fers as a hitter or long innings as a pitcher and the ups of three hit games or perfect innings pitched. We chose to travel along their journey seven years ago when we began writing the daily stories of the Phillies minor league sojourn.
We’ve become friendly acquaintances with many and their families - weekly text messages of encouragement to all we can. Pre Covid group meals for those interested to join us, our privilege to get to know folks as people and not just baseball players.
So when a young man gets “the call” our import is to share their joy and celebration. Whether their time in the big leagues is one game or many the initial “call up” happens just once and it’s a special moment and day.
Darick’s wife, some family members and best friend will be there tonight to see his debut. We can attest that they are really good folks and very excited for him. We will watch on TV from here in Clearwater and be just as happy for them all.
The grind of minor league baseball and player development is more difficult than most realize. When the best moments occur they must be celebrated because there are plenty on the opposite side of the spectrum.
Congrats Darick Hall ! Soak it all in and bask in the glory of the moment and when ya step in the box for the first time “kick ass” like we discussed 🤓. It’s all about the competition in the show - to survive there is to thrive amongst the best in the game. We have confidence and faith in our latest graduate - we will watch tonight but also maintain our primary focus on the young men attempting to be the next to get “the call”. It’s what they live for as a professional and what we’ve chosen to watch and write about - a privilege we embrace.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
