Lawrence out to prove he belongs at baseball's highest level
It was the moment Casey Lawrence had been waiting for his entire life.
After spending seven seasons in the minor leagues, the Delone Catholic graduate finally made his MLB debut as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Lawrence took the mound in the 11th inning of a road game against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 8, with the game tied, 2-2. It was a tough situation for any pitcher, let alone one who was called up from Triple-A Buffalo that same day.
The eventual outcome was not the one he was looking for.
With two outs and the bases loaded, Lawrence walked in the winning run and took the loss. Never mind that he had struck out all-star Evan Longoria one batter earlier. Lawrence was in no mood for moral victories.
He was devastated.
"I sat there afterward and thought, 'Good lord, what a debut,'" Lawrence said. "I worked my whole life to get here and then I walk in the winning run, I thought it couldn't get much worse than this. It was one of those things where I didn’t get it done that first time. You go back to the drawing board and try to get better."
Since then, Lawrence has appeared in nine more MLB games and experienced the ups and downs that are common for many players. He was sent down to the minors, brought back up and then traded to the Seattle Mariners in May. He gave up a grand slam to Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons in his first start on April 22 but struck out nine batters in five innings to set a Mariners record for strikeouts in a relief appearance on June 1.
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Currently, Lawrence is in the minors pitching for Seattle's Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers. If he's taken anything away from the past few months, it's something he already knew.
Staying at the highest level is even harder than getting there.
"You know, I always heard that coming up," Lawrence said. "You have to keep working your tail off and prove you belong and then keep trying to stay. You have to go out there and prove it every time."
After working his way up the ladder for seven years, the 29-year-old, who went undrafted out of Albright College, isn't thinking about quitting now.
"I want to play as long as I can," he said. "I think I can until I'm 40."
• • •
Throughout his first seven years of professional baseball, Lawrence often imagined how he would feel when he was finally promoted to the majors. But that moment didn't go how he expected.
It was about 1 a.m. on April 8 when Lawrence woke up to a call from Blue Jays director of player development Gil Kim, Triple-A pitching coach Bob Stanley and Double-A pitching coach Vince Horsman. Scheduled to start that evening for the Buffalo Bisons, Lawrence feared he was being sent down to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
Instead, he was told to pack his bags for an early morning flight from Buffalo to Tampa to join his new Blue Jays teammates. It was the beginning of an exciting journey for Lawrence, who tried to share the good news with his fast asleep family members in McSherrystown.
"I called my dad and he didn't answer, called my mom and she didn't answer, called my wife and she didn't answer," Lawrence said. "Then the fire company showed up because there was a gas leak (at the hotel), and I'm thinking, 'Am I OK to be here?' It was definitely a weird night.
"It wasn't the way I thought (getting called up) would be like. It was kind of surreal but very special."
The surreal moments continued as the spring and summer went on. From standing on a major league stadium mound for the first time, to sharing a locker room with players he followed in high school like Robinson Cano.
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While he did his best to be professional around his famous teammates, Lawrence admitted that facing Los Angeles Angels superstars Mike Trout and Albert Pujols left him starstruck.
"You sit there and look at the lineup card and think, 'Wow, I get to face those guys,'" Lawrence said. "But I'm excited to face those guys. You just try and treat it like a normal game."
Still, every new MLB player needs veterans who can help them adjust and learn. Lawrence credited Blue Jays pitcher Jason Grilli and Mariners catcher Carlos Ruiz with taking him under their wings.
Lawrence said the key for him to improve on the mound is consistency. His fastball is currently clocking around 92 to 94 miles per hour, about five mph faster than what he was throwing at the beginning of last season.
"Last year was the year I made the most improvement mechanically; now it’s just being able to execute," Lawrence said.
With a 7.04 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 30.2 innings in the majors so far, Lawrence knows there's plenty of room for improvement. In seven games with Tacoma, he's gone 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA in 30.2 innings. He struck out seven batters in a complete-game win in his last start on July 3.
While the past few months haven't been easy, Lawrence has enjoyed them.
"It’s been everything I’ve dreamed of," Lawrence said. "Maybe not (getting called) up and down, but that's part of the game. Whether you're with the big league teams or in Triple-A, you're trying to win games and get better. And get in your flight miles and stay ready."
• • •
There are still nights when Lawrence lies awake and shakes his head at how far he's come.
Having graduated from a small Catholic high school and a Division III college, Lawrence considers himself fortunate to have reached the majors. That's why he goes out of his way to interact with fans — especially kids — whenever he can.
"I always try to be the guys who signs autographs," he said. "It puts everything in perspective. It's just a blessing to do what we do."
Lawrence hasn't forgotten his roots, either. He and his wife, Sarah, own a home in Hanover, and he briefly returned to the area a few weeks ago after the Mariners sent him down to Tacoma.
And many in the Hanover-area have actively followed Lawrence this spring and summer. Wayne Lawrence, Casey's father, said he and wife regularly get over 100 likes or replies when they post articles about him on Facebook.
Alan Felix, Lawrence's former head coach at Delone Catholic, said he did his best to catch as many of Lawrence's appearances as possible. He was thrilled to run into his old pitcher at the Delone Catholic Carnival in June.
"Ironically, my son and I went to the carnival to get a funnel cake, and he was coming out after getting a funnel cake, too," Felix said. "He's absolutely the same person, very humble. Always says hi to my son. That's the way he was brought up."
Wayne Lawrence takes pride in his son's humility. Having watched Casey go through plenty of ups and downs during seven years in the minors, he was grateful to see him finally get promoted. He and his wife traveled to Los Angeles for the first start of Casey's MLB career.
"It wasn't, 'Oh, I can't believe this (when he got called up),' because I could believe it," Wayne Lawrence said. "He deserved the opportunity. Casey loves the game. He understands that some days you have it and some days the batters win. That's the thing about Casey, he respects the game."
Casey Lawrence loves the game so much, he's already started thinking about becoming a coach or scout when his playing career is over. But if he has it his way, that day won't come for a long time.
As he tries to work his way back to the majors, Lawrence is focused on two goals: a long career and winning a World Series ring.
However things shake out, Lawrence appreciates the positives and negatives of the past few months. And he's looking forward to proving himself.
"No matter how far away you think you are, you are technically only a day away," Lawrence said. "Last year I was at a point where I was having a tough run in Double-A, and the next day I had a conversation about changing a few things. I was able to put myself in position to get a call-up. You never know."