In a normal year, Noah Baragar would have had to make a rather difficult decision. The Giants do a wonderful job bringing the entire rookie family to the ballpark in time for their possible debut, but when Caleb Baragar called Michigan home earlier this week with life-changing news, he knew that his family was unable to make the trip to Los Angeles this weekend.
Noah Baragar was due to attend a friend’s wedding anyway, and that’s where he saw his brother take an MLB mound for the first time:
Currently at one of the best bud weddings, it is already a fantastic day and now my brother is making his major league debut! ⚾️⚾️ @CalebBaragar I’m looking at you on my iPhone which is at 4%! Keep rolling🤩
– Noah Baragar (@ noahbaragar42) July 25, 2020
What Noah Baragar and a national audience saw was a great debut. Caleb Baragar, a left-hander added to camp late, came in with a running back in the fifth inning and recorded six outs in two innings for his first MLB victory. The five hitters he faced: Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Corey Seager. There is nothing more difficult for an MLB pitcher.
“I really tried not to focus on who I was in the box,” Baragar said after a 5-4 victory. “I really tried to focus on the receiver and try to launch my game.”
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This was the Baragar the Giants saw at camp, which was a surprise addition to the 30-man roster earlier this week. The Giants love Baragar’s competitiveness and balance, and they love his fastball even more, and the Dodgers didn’t know what to do with it on Saturday. Baragar threw 19 pitches and 16 of them were fast balls.
The Giants had played in blowouts the previous two days, usually a great place to let a rookie get their feet wet. But manager Gabe Kapler contained Baragar, knowing that the Dodgers hadn’t seen him before, they probably didn’t have much of a movie and could be turned down the first time. It worked perfectly.
There’s something else that’s normal for rookies who get a win, and many Giants have experienced it at Dodger Stadium. It’s tradition to put a novice in a laundry cart and spray it with shampoo, body wash, ranch dressing, and everything else available. So how did the other Baragar pitchers celebrate in one year with strict safety protocols?
“They told me not to talk about it,” said Baragar, smiling. “No comment.”
[RELATED:[RELATED:[RELACIONADO:[RELATED:Gabe Kapler earns the Giants’ first win]
Baragar said the moment had not hit him yet, though perhaps he did later on Saturday when he checked his cell phone. He said he had 150 text messages after the game, along with many messages and mentions on Twitter and Instagram. There were also family members to call, including his brother.
“He texted me and I haven’t heard from him, so I’m sure he died,” he said of his brother’s tweet.
The phone yes, but there was a happy ending to this story:
Update: my phone died but I found far to see calebs in the second post! Heck yeah, it’s a way to start your MLB career! 🔥🔥
– Noah Baragar (@ noahbaragar42) July 25, 2020
