LOS ANGELES — A dream came true in the city of dreams for a rookie member of the Washington Nationals -- and his mom -- Monday night.
In his Major League debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers under the lights of Dodger Stadium, 24-year-old Mitchell Parker struck out his first batter, superstar shortstop Mookie Betts, with a 95 mile per hour fastball.
But it was what happened next that had social media buzzing.
“It’s the verification of a lifetime journey,” Parker’s mom, Wendy Sturgill Parker, told MLB.com. “[It’s] justification that he belongs here. That it's not a fluke.”
Cameras caught the elation in Patterson’s eyes as Betts swung through that third strike. Recording the moment on her cellphone just like she did when her son was in little league, "momma Mitchell" screamed in joy, looked to the sky and clapped her hands as tears streamed down her face.
“Speechless,” Wendy Parker told MLB.com of the moment. “No words.”
Mitchell Parker, the Nationals’ No. 21 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, would go on to throw five innings, giving up two runs while striking out four. He earned his first major league win in a 6-4 victory over the Dodgers, an early favorite to win this year’s world series. Wendy Parker could be seen cheering wildly and pumping her arms the entire night.
According to MLB.com, Wendy Parker was joined in the stands by Mithchell Parker’s father, Tom, Parker’s fiancée Hayleigh Patterson, and other friends and family.
“This is what he's been working for the entire time I've known him,” Wendy Parker told MLB.com. “Twenty years, we’ve waited for this.”
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