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Michael Lorenzen’s First Game after Father’s Death

Michael Lorenzen, a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, had a great game on August 19, 2016. The meaning of his performance was much more significant, as it was his first game after the death of his father.

Lorenzen unexpectedly lost his father, Cliff, two days beforehand. This was catastrophic to Lorenzen, as his father was a huge influence in his life. After only taking one day away from the Reds, the 24-year-old pitcher returned to the team for their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 19th.

The Reds took an early lead, going up six to zero in the fourth inning. Their starting pitcher, Tim Adleman, exited after five innings, meaning that Cincinnati would need multiple relief pitchers. Prior to the game, Lorenzen told his manager, Bryan Price, that getting back to work would be very beneficial to his grieving process and that he wanted to pitch.

With one out in the top of the seventh inning, there were runners on first and second base. The Reds called the bullpen and brought Lorenzen into the game. As a tribute to his father, he switched his entrance song. He jogged to the mound while his father’s favorite song (“Who Are You?” by The Who) blasted throughout the entire stadium.

The packed-crowd in the Reds’ stadium, Great American Ballpark, was overcome with emotion, as they understood Lorenzen’s situation and how difficult of a time he was going through. Lorenzen was able to get the next two Dodgers out and the Reds returned to the dugout.

Bryan Price met with the reliever in the dugout and told him that he would pitch the next inning, but if his spot in the lineup were to come up, the team would need him to hit. Being a relief pitcher, Lorenzen’s only job is to pitch, and he rarely practices hitting.

There were runners on first and second base with two outs and Lorenzen’s spot in the order came around. He saw one pitch and swung. The ball traveled 403 feet to right-center field and over the wall. It was a pretty magical time for Lorenzen’s first career home run.

The crowd erupted into a celebration of not just the Reds’ scoring three more runs, but for Lorenzen. Keeping a straight face and maintaining his emotion while rounding the bases, he pointed up to the sky and clapped as he crossed home plate. Greeted by his teammates as he returned to the dugout, his emotions are still kept until he finds his best friend on the team, Ramon Cabrera. He hugged him and let all of his emotions out. The stadium chanted his name and he went onto the field and did a curtain call, waving to the fans. The Reds went on to win the game, 9-2.

Lorenzen showed Reds fans and baseball fans everywhere that athletes are humans too. They have emotions, rough days and difficult situations that they need to deal with.