Illustration by Scott Pollack
Matt Kramer started thinking about playing pro baseball before he started kindergarten. He played for Mary Institute Country Day School and Harvard University before blowing off med school to play in the minors. After the 6-foot-2 former catcher did a brief stint with the Braves, the Red Sox converted him into a pitcher and signed him in February. Now, he’s earning not quite doctor money—a little less than minimum wage—and documenting his journey on a listserv titled “Where Dreams Come True.”
2/27/11: It still amazes me the difference in the lives of pitchers and catchers—how I have gone from being the most involved in practice to the least. No complaints here.
3/3/11: Recent “Baseball Philosophy” topics include managing distractions—including hecklers.
3/5/11: I think Brian Wilson’s definitely onto something about us pitchers being “insane by situation” because after all the waiting around, when we finally get our brief time to pitch, we are crazy excited for it.
3/8/11: I did something I told myself I would never do—throw an extra pitch. According to my extensive research “just one more” actually means, on average, “just 4.187362 more pitches,” and those add up.
3/14/11: We had our annual MLB security meeting. Former and current FBI/police go over all kinds of security information to make us aware of issues with fans, security, and the problems that social-networking technologies can bring.
3/17/11: Well, my first two innings of professional pitching are in the books—and pretty good ones at that! I gave up 0 runs, 2 hits, struck out 1 batter, walked none, and didn’t break any ribs or start any brawls.
3/26/11: It usually takes four or five years to make it to Major League Baseball, but I’m old—25—so I’m hoping that gets accelerated. Somebody asked the other day if I’m planning on med school. It’s good to have that to fall back on. But in my head, it’s all about making this baseball thing a reality.
