Wolverine LaMarre Hits Storybook First MLB Homer for Grandpa, Caught by Uncle
8/15/2018 1:00:00 PM | Baseball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
DETROIT -- Ryan LaMarre hit the inside fastball from Detroit Tigers starter Blaine Hardy on the screws and it got out in hurry, clearing the wall in left-center field at Comerica Park with plenty of room to spare.
LaMarre jabbed the air with his fist as he neared second base, and clapped both hands after crossing home plate before pointing to the stands and blowing a kiss to his wife. It was his first major-league home run in 155 at-bats that came for five different teams. The journey he had taken to that moment made it sweeter still.
"It's unbelievable," LaMarre said after Tuesday night's (Aug. 14) 6-3 win for the Chicago White Sox. "I was pretty pumped up. My wife, my parents, my grandparents were here tonight and they've been through everything with me, ridden that rollercoaster with me. They've been disappointed; they've been on highs. So, to have them in the crowd …
"I called my grandpa (Pat O'Dowd) on his birthday when I was (playing) in Charlotte (the Triple-A affiliate of the White Sox), and he said, 'You know, I'm just hoping you could hit a homer in the majors.' And he was here tonight, driving over from Jackson. He's going to be jacked."
LaMarre, an All-Big Ten first team outfield selection at the University of Michigan in 2010, continues getting the "good news" phone call after getting the "bad news" phone call.
The 2010 second-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds is on his fifth major-league team in four years. The Minnesota Twins designated him for assignment July 2, and the White Sox claimed him off waivers July 11.
Another team, another chance.
Another town, another apartment or hotel room.
LaMarre (luh-MAHR) and his wife, Whitney Taney when she was an All-Big Ten tennis selection at Michigan, have lived in five different towns over the last seven months because of all the baseball moves.
"I've had 100 different teammates this year," LaMarre said. "It's crazy because it's probably the only job in the world where one phone call, and a couple hours later you're on a flight to a new town, playing for someone different.
"My dad (Kevin) is in the financial world, and works for Wells Fargo. I said, 'This would be like if someone from Raymond James called you and said, 'Hey, we've traded for you. Can you get on a flight in four hours to Orlando and start working tomorrow morning?' But it's what you sign up for, and it's been fun. Me and my wife have had a blast this season. We've had a lot of highs, and some lows. But going through it together makes it one of those journeys that we'll look back on and cherish. Hopefully, we can keep it going and finish on a strong note."
There was Fort Myers, Florida, for spring training with the Twins. They split time between Minneapolis and Rochester, New York, where the Twins' Triple-A team plays. Now they have lived in Chicago and another Triple-A town, Charlotte, North Carolina.
It can be quite a challenge -- being here today and there tomorrow on a regular basis -- but LaMarre said his faith both strengthens and grounds him.
LaMarre notes the Bible verses from 1 Peter 5, 6-7 on his Twitter account @RyanLaMarre4: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
"For me," said LaMarre, "this game is so failure driven. So many small things seem to make a huge difference. I never really struggled in high school (Jackson Lumen Christi, approximately 70 miles west of Detroit) or college. Then professional baseball comes around, and it turns into an everyday grind.
"The anxieties and the stuff. It's hard enough to play this game when things are going well and your mind's all clear and easy. Then, it's virtually impossible when you have all that other stuff going on. For me, having that faith and just trusting that you can have a bigger purpose, and not just being numbers driven, 'I need two hits tonight.'
"It's all kind of clutter and you have to throw that anxiety out, and throw it to God and let him deal with it. I'm not perfect at it; I still stress a little bit and have some worries. But for the most part, that attitude has made it easier. If you can have that faith, that substance to ground you, it makes playing every day easier."
White Sox manager Rick Renteria has only been around LaMarre for parts of two months, but has been impressed with his approach.
"His spiritual foundation has allowed him to deal with the bumps and bruises of his journey," said Renteria. "That attitude that he carries is serving him well. As long as he continues to stay grounded, he'll always get another opportunity to impact people and show people that he deserves and works to be around this game."
Renteria said he has already noticed LaMarre comforting teammates who had a tough game in the clubhouse after games. That is something exceptional teammates do.
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
LaMarre did not reach the majors until 2015, and had to endure a serious injury before that. He missed most of 2014 with separate surgeries to repair a hernia and his left leg, which had nearly snapped in two. LaMarre still has a titanium rod inserted from his knee cap to his ankle and attached with a screw, providing the stability his tibia no longer could.
But he recovered to play Triple-A ball in 2015, getting his first chance with the Reds that August, batting .080 in limited action. LaMarre had only a combined 37 at-bats with his first three teams: Cincinnati, the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A's. He also had just two hits.
The Twins gave him his first real chance this year, and LaMarre batted .263 in 99 at-bats with 26 hits, five doubles and eight runs batted in. He was playing for Rochester when he got the "disappointing" call explaining "this isn't a move we want to make or a knock on you" from a Twins official, saying roster needs dictated a parting of ways. He was told the Twins would try trading him and did not believe he would clear waivers.
LaMarre said, "It was the first time I'd really gotten an opportunity in the big leagues to play on a decently consistent basis and make adjustments. To have it end like that, it was tough. I was frustrated: 'Why did this happen?' But it got me back to that Bible verse on my Twitter page. So, we went back to Minneapolis (Whitney's hometown) and waited."
Then they received a phone call from the Twins saying the White Sox had claimed him off waivers, adding that they were happy he was getting another chance in the majors. Several coaches called or texted, wishing him luck.
White Sox director of player development Chris Getz, who also played for the Wolverines before a seven-year big league career, was the next to call.
"Chris asked if I was ready to play because (Avisail Garcia) had just gone down (with a hamstring injury) and they needed somebody," said LaMarre. "So, I went right to Chicago three hours after that call, and played the next day.
"I'd met Chris when I was at Michigan and he was with the White Sox, but had broken his thumb. So, he came back to Michigan and I got to hang out with him a bit. We stayed in touch, ran into each other at weddings. He was a familiar face, and I'm just excited to be here."
LaMarre is 6-for-22 (.273) with one home run, one double and two RBI for Chicago.
"I really like Ryan," said Renteria. "We got a taste of Ryan playing for Minnesota against us. He's professional and he's been around. He's respected in the game because of the way he goes about his business. We're very happy that he can play multiple outfield positions, runs well, has a decent arm and gives you good at-bats. He knows the game.
"Today, I told him, 'You're a person who with your attitude and everything that you do, if you continue to do that, you're always going to find yourself playing the game of baseball. Just do what you do.'"
LaMarre said the "biggest problem" a hitter can have in moving around so much is trying too hard to impress each new team, but noted that the White Sox helped him by telling him, "You don't have to be Superman. We got you because we liked you as a player."
"I show up to work every day, ready to play," said LaMarre. "I just try to do something to help the team win -- whether it's coming off the bench for an at-bat, playing defense or running the bases or getting a start that night. I'm going to compete and have fun.
"I've been blessed this whole year, really."
Whitney handles the ticket requests that come whenever Ryan plays in Detroit. He said 40 to 60 family and friends, most coming from Jackson, attended and he's never sure where they're seated unless he gets a hit.
"They cheer then," said LaMarre, "and that's how I find out where they're sitting at."
With the homer, which gave the Sox the lead for good in the second inning, it was easier than ever. They roared.
But the homer story, for its personal significance both career-wise and for Grandpa Pat, got even better after White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper discovered it was his first homer and phoned the bullpen asking for them to retrieve it if possible.
"My uncle already had it," LaMarre said. "I don't know if he caught it on the fly or bounce, but he wouldn't give it to them. He said he was running it over to my parents. I'm not sure which uncle, I've got a lot of them, but one of them caught the ball -- which is crazy."
What are the odds of that?
"I don't know," said LaMarre. "But probably the same as me hitting a homer, considering I had zero coming into the game. That made it even more special. It was something I was hoping to get, and to get it here in Detroit was something you couldn't dream up."
