Extra Innings: Grief, Baseball, and Old Friends

Yesterday, I took a half-day off work to head to Comerica Park with an old college friend of mine, “The Butcher.” It was a spectacular day for a game—the high hit 74°, the sun was out, and the stadium was filled with the energy of “School Outing Day.” I even think the safety patrol from Phred’s school was there in the stands.

But the day carried a weight that the weather couldn’t lighten. The Butcher’s dad passed away just a few weeks ago. It happened fast—he went to the hospital and, within a week, found out he had Stage 4 cancer. He was gone shortly after.

The Seat in the Tiger Den

The tickets we used were actually a birthday gift the Butcher had bought for his dad. It was their annual tradition. Even though his birthday was in March, they always waited for the Michigan weather to turn nice before heading to the ballpark.

A History of Groomsmen and Barhopping

I’ve known The Butcher since our college days—back when our biggest worries were which club we were hitting and how late we’d stay out. He’s one of those rare “old college friends” where, even though our lives moved in different directions and we don’t see each other every day, the foundation is solid. He was an usher at my wedding to X1 (I already had a small army of groomsmen, but I needed him there), and we’ve seen each other through the various “seasons” of life.

Back on Opening Day, the Butcher posted something on Facebook about watching the Tigers and thinking of his dad. My own dad was a massive Tigers fan, and I commented something like, “I think our dads are pulling a few favors upstairs.” I think that hit him harder than I realized, because last week, he invited me to take his dad’s seat.

We were in the “Tiger Den” section—premium seats with an incredible view and in-seat concession service. It felt special, but the game itself was what really felt “directed.”

Skubal, Torkelson, and the 9th Inning

Tigers starter Tarik Skubal was dealing. He retired the first nine batters he faced; 18 of his first 20 pitches were strikes. For a while, I thought I was sitting there witnessing a no-hitter—or even a perfect game. But baseball is rarely perfect. Skubal scuffled in the later innings, and Milwaukee actually took the lead.

The Tigers battled back to tie it, and then, in the bottom of the ninth, Spencer Torkelson ended it with a dramatic walk-off home run.

Negotiations with the Front Office Upstairs

I’m not a terribly spiritual guy, but I have to think the Butcher’s dad and “The Old Man” were upstairs negotiating with the higher-ups. I can almost hear my dad saying, “Okay, if you can’t give the kids a perfect game, how about a walk-off? That’d be pretty cool, right?”

The Long Road of Processing

I never expected to find a spiritual connection through a box score, but it was an emotional day. I feel for the Butcher. He only had a week to process his loss; I had four months with my dad in the hospital, and even that didn’t feel like enough. I’m just glad I could be there to share that seat with him and witness a win that felt like it was delivered from a very specific front office in the sky.

It feels like we might be entering a phase where we “hang out” more intentionally again. He’s DJing at a local bar next month for his 50th birthday and invited me out for the club night. Maybe that’s part of the favor our dads are pulling—reminding us that while life moves fast, you don’t have to navigate the “extra innings” alone.

Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Whether I’m 900 days into a streak or reflecting on the decade of posts that led me here, the mission remains the same. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint behind the rebuild.

Today’s post is inspired by the WordPress Daily Prompt. While I’ve taken the topic in my own direction for the Road to 1,000 Days, you can find more responses to today’s prompt HERE .

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The article “Extra Innings: Grief, Baseball, and Old Friends” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.