Jamie Westbrook thought his manager was joking.
You probably would too, after 11 years in the minor leagues.
He’d played 1,159 career MiLB games with five different organizations, plus various stints in Australia, Mexico, and indy ball. When the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft, he was just out of high school; now, he’s two weeks away from his 29th birthday.
Finally, the call was for him.
“A lot of tears, it’s been a long time coming,” Westbrook said as he stood in the Red Sox clubhouse on Sunday morning. “I just wanted to make sure the manager was serious, he wasn’t joking with me.
“He called me and he said, ‘Hey, I’m sure there’s been a lot of managers throughout your career that wanted to give this call, but I’m happy it’s me and you’re going to the big-leagues.”
The timing couldn’t have been better for utility-man: his wife and seven-month-old son were with him in Charlotte, and the Red Sox also recalled Bobby Dalbec.
“They were able to hop on the flight (with me) last night, and my parents got on a red-eye from Arizona, and then I’ve got a bunch of family here in Mass. that will be at the game today. (The Red Sox) have taken care of that, so it’ll be really cool,” Westbrook said. The baby even slept through the night, so his rookie dad was able to get some sleep before his big day.
“It’s super special. He’s been a good friend of mine for years now, we run a fantasy football team in the offseason together, ” he said of Dalbec. “Definitely eased my nerves a little bit, and he kind of showed me the ropes, and just having a big brother there to take care of everything, so that was sweet.”
The cherry atop this long-awaited sundae? The Red Sox are the journeyman’s hometown team. Westbrook grew up a fan in Holyoke, Mass. Dustin Pedroia was his favorite player; a “shorter guy, second baseman like myself,” he said with a smile. The universe’s timing is funny that way, too; five days after Pedroia’s induction into the Red Sox Hall of Fame, Westbrook finally gets to put on the same uniform.
“In the offseason when they reached out, it kind of felt like a full-circle moment for sure, and obviously, you hope that you can do it here and have family close,” he said. “Yeah, it’s storybook, it really is.”
“I’m still kind of at a loss for words, but definitely a lot of gratitude,” he added. “I’m obviously really happy to be here and it’s a special day, but here to help the team win and whatever they need me to do, be more than happy to do, do it to the best of my ability and enjoy it.”
Less than 10% of minor leaguers make it to The Show. As the years dragged on and he started bouncing around from club to club, there were times when he thought about calling it quits.
“Yeah, absolutely, and pretty often, honestly,” Westbrook admitted. “But I’m just happy I kept showing up, regardless of how it was going, where I was at, and today’s the day I’ve always dreamed of.
“If you would’ve asked me on draft day coming out of high school, I would’ve told you I would’ve made $200 million and played in the big leagues for 15 years. Everybody’s story is different, but it’s so much sweeter now, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. So yeah, it’s been a long time coming for now, but yeah it’s just a beautiful day, it really is.”