TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — As John Nogowski taught infield skills to the future stars in the game of baseball at the Father-Son Baseball Camp in Tallahassee this past weekend, he reflected on the gravity of the moment. A journey coming full circle, right in his hometown.
“It’s tough to put into words just how emotional it is because it is such a journey from high school ball and out at Meridian Park playing when I was a little kid," said Tallahassee native and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman John Nogowski. "All the way to playing in big-league stadiums, it’s pretty wild.”
As he watched countless dads and their sons create lifetime memories Saturday afternoon, he was reminded of the bond between him and his father that formed from a simple love for the game of baseball.
“He’s been my number one coach my whole life and he’s one of my best friends," he says. "It was such a special moment for me and him.
That moment was the call John made to his parents when the St. Louis Cardinals brought him up to their active roster.
“To have both of them on speakerphone when I called them to tell them, ‘hey I made it,’ it was such a special moment," adds Nogowski. "And it wasn’t about me going to the big leagues, it was about us all accomplishing that dream that I had since I was a little kid.”
And in order to make his professional debut, John had to improvise to find a way to get to the ballpark in time for a Sunday afternoon road game against the Chicago White Sox’s.
“It was crazy with all the alternate training sites and everything. I actually had to drive to Chicago in a rental car, where I made my debut at the White Sox Stadium, he added.
To anyone chasing a dream similar to John’s remember this one simple thing.
“If you put in the work good stuff can happen." - John Nogowski
