Tyler Samaniego had just arrived at Polar Park in Worcester when WooSox manager Chad Tracy pulled him into his office. The team needed a fresh arm to cover some innings, so he had to be ready when his number was called.
Oh, and by the way, he needed to get over to Boston right away.
“I was kind of at a loss for words,” Samaniego said.
What started off as just another day at the ballpark quickly became one of the best days of his life, as Samaniego earned his long-awaited call to the majors and enjoyed a memorable MLB debut during Wednesday’s 5-0 Red Sox win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
The rookie left-hander entered the game in the top of the eighth and threw a scoreless inning in which he recorded all three outs by strikeout. He sent down Brewers leadoff man Sal Frelick looking for the first out of his big league career, and after walking Garrett Mitchell he bounced back by striking out former MVP Christian Yelich and right-handed pinch hitter Luis Matos swinging.
“That was awesome,” Samaniego said. “It was everything you ever dream of.”
Originally acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of the Jhostynxon Garcia trade this past fall, Samaniego was a candidate to open the season with the Red Sox but wound up getting sent to Triple-A out of camp after the club added veteran lefty Danny Coulombe. But the rookie was summoned Wednesday morning after right-hander Justin Slaten was placed on the injured list, prompting a mad dash down the Mass Pike upon receiving the news around 9:30 a.m.
“I just packed the locker up and came right here,” Samaniego said. “It was a quick turnaround, I wasn’t expecting that this morning.”
Because of the abrupt notice, Samaniego’s family and friends were not able to make it to Fenway Park in time to see his debut. Samaniego said the first people he told were his mother, brother and girlfriend, and that all of them are going to try to get to St. Louis this weekend to see his next outing.
But one person who was there in spirit, he said, was his late father Rick, who died in August of 2022 towards the end of Samaniego’s first professional season.
“He’s the one who introduced me to this game,” Samaniego said. “I’ve got him on my glove every time I go out there, I’ve got him on my mind, I know he’s out there with me.”