Josh Tomlin’s father will get to watch his son pitch Game 3 of the World Series, but it’s been a long journey for him to get to that point.
Jerry Tomlin became paralyzed from the chest down in August after an arteriovenous malformation, a rare condition involving abnormally connected blood vessels in the spine, required emergency surgery. Tomlin took a family medical emergency leave from the Cleveland Indians then, but he hasn’t seen his father since.
But Jerry Tomlin will be at Wrigley Field when the Indians take on the Chicago Cubs on Friday in Game 3, the first World Series game to be played at the historic ballpark since 1945. Tomlin’s father was released from the hospital last Wednesday, when the Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series.
“It’s neat because he’s always talked about Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, two historical ballparks, being the ones he wants to go see,” Tomlin told MLB.com. “As a Father’s Day gift, we let my father-in-law and him decide what game they wanted to see, and he was supposed to come to a game in Chicago (at U.S. Cellular Field). But because of the incident, he wasn’t able to enjoy that gift. So it’s nice to be able to share this with him.”
Jerry Tomlin watched Josh’s AL Division Series and ALCS starts from the hospital, but Friday’s game at Wrigley certainly will be unique.
“That’s going to be something else,” Josh Tomlin said. “I’ve never actually pitched in Wrigley Field, but we played there last year, so I’ve gotten to experience a game there. But I take it this will be a little bit different atmosphere than it was that day.”
Tomlin has a 2.53 ERA over 10 2/3 innings in two wins this postseason.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
