Tom Walker living dream of every parent, and more
“We’re a baseball family, and we’ve been blessed.”
Thetransformation happenedyears ago, maybewhen Neil Walkerwas a star athleteat Pine-RichlandHigh School, or when he wasdrafted No. 11 overall by the Pirates in 2004, or certainlywhen he was a key componenton a team that led thewretched franchise to three consecutive playoff appearancesfrom 2013-15 after 20 years of losing.
“All I know is I lost my
identity,” Walker’s pop was saying last week. “I’m no longer Tom Walker. I’m Neil Walker’s dad.”
Every parent’s dream, right?
Tom Walker has been blessed to live just about all of his through Neil and his three other children, Matt, Carrie and Sean. The kids have given Walker, 70, and his wife, Carolyn, a lifetime of memories, not to mention 10 grandchildren with No. 11 on the way. Neil and his wife, Niki, are expecting their second child — a boy — in November.
Neil Walker is the most famous of the brood, still playing with the Miami Marlins as he closes in on 10 full seasons in the big leagues during a career in which he has earned an estimated $52 million. Tom and Carolyn were able to watch him play every home game during his time with the Pirates from 2009-2015.
“It was almost a fantasy,” Tom Walker said. “We could leave our house in Gibsonia and be in our seats at PNC Park in 32 minutes. To see your kid follow in your footsteps and have so much success? You have to scratch yourself to make sure it’s real.”
I loved watching Neil Walker play and loved the way he handled the pressure of being “The Pittsburgh Kid” with such ease and so much class.
But I have an admission to make:
I find Neil Walker’s old man to be a lot more interesting.
Tom Walker is the only baseball player I know who threw a 15-inning no-hitter in organized baseball. As of Tuesday, he’ll also be the only man I know with a surgically replaced shoulder.
I have heard of knee replacements and hip replacements, but a shoulder replacement?
“They tell me they’ve been doing it for about 10 years,” Walker said. “[Former Pirates pitcher] Rick Reuschel had it done.”
Walker isn’t sure if his 15-inning no-hitter in the Class AA Texas League in August 1971 forced the need for a new right shoulder. He has had serious arthritis for much of his life. But 15 innings of pitching couldn’t have helped, not that Walker would take back even one of the 168 pitches or 176 pitches or 193 pitches he threw on that steamy New Mexico night for the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs against the Albuquerque Dodgers.
“No one knows for sure how many pitches I threw because no one kept pitch counts back in those days. So I’m saying it was 193,” Walker said, grinning.
Walkerretired the Dodgers’ first 18 hitters. He walkedtwo in each of the seventhand eighth innings before retiring the final 22 batters.Spurs teammate Enos Cabellknocked in the only runwith a two-out double in thetop of the 15th. Walker pitcheda perfect bottom of theinning to complete the 1-0 no-hitter, getting future Piratesoutfielder Lee Lacy to bounceout to second base to endthe game. The only man morerelieved than Walker afterit finally was over was hismanager, Cal Ripken Sr., who, later in life, would realizeone of his dreams by becomingknown as Cal Jr.’s dad.
“I was the Orioles’ first
-roundpick in 1968. Cal alwayssaid he would have beenfired if I had hurt my armin that game,” Tom Walkersaid.
“Ilearned so much from thatman. I remember him saying,‘You think you’ve givena lot? You haven’t givenanything yet. Get your [behind]on the field and worka little harder.’ Cal was one of the first people to call mewhen I made it to the big leagues.‘I might have been toughon you,’ he said, ‘but lookwhere you are now.’ I’ll alwaysbe grateful to him.”
Walkermade it to the majorsin 1972 and spent a total ofsix seasons with Montreal, Detroit,St. Louis and the CaliforniaAngels. He finished withan 18-23 record with 11 savesand a 3.87 earned-run average,retiring early in the 1978season after Don Robinsonbeat him out for a job on the Pirates staff.
Evenmore than for the nohitter,Walker is known for beingwith Roberto Clemente onNew Year’s Eve 1972. He wasplaying winter ball for Clementein Puerto Rico and helpedClemente load supplieson a plane bound for earthquake-ravagedNicaragua. perished whenthat flight crashed shortly after takeoff.
“Ioffered to fly down there withhim. So did Manny Sanguillenand Balor Moore,” Walkersaid. “I still can hear himsay, ‘No. Stay here. Party.’”
Walker’s basement is filled with Clemente memorabilia as well as souvenirs and pictures from his own career, including the scorecard from his no-hitter. Most of all, the room is a shrine to his kids’ athletic accomplishments. He and Neil are just one of nine father-son combinations in baseball history to be firstround draft choices.
NeilWalker will receive hislatest honor Sept. 3 at PNCPark before the Marlins playthe Pirates. He is the 2019American Legion Graduateof the Year. The award honorsa former American Legionbaseball player for his playing ability, character,leadership and communityservice. Previous winnersincluded Ted Williams, StanMusial, Carl Yastrzemski,Roger Clemens andGreg Maddux.
TomWalker might have tofind room soon in his basementfor a replica of the WorldSeries trophy. His sonin-law,Don Kelly, who is married to Carrie, is the firstbasecoach of the Houston Astrosand, Walker predicted, will be a big-league managerone day. Kelly is fromMt. Lebanon.
“We’rea baseball family, andwe’ve been blessed,” said … Wait for it.
Don Kelly’s father-in-law.