Senior infielder Joey Garvey always planned to rejoin the Riverside Brookfield High School baseball lineup this season.
After first playing May 1, Garvey will always treasure his first start Friday.
“It still hasn’t really set in,” Garvey said. “My first game back fully, it didn’t feel real, but it was really fun.”
Yes, Garvey and the Bulldogs truly were at American Family Field in Milwaukee, home of Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers, to play Libertyville.
Despite the 11-4 loss, the Bulldogs (12-12) created great memories.
Second baseman/shortstop Garvey had two of the Bulldogs’ six hits, including a run-scoring single. Cooper Marrs (double) and Ben Pondel also had runs batted in.
“[I’ll remember] just walking into the stadium for the first time and then probably that second base hit I had that scored a couple of runs,” said Garvey, who had been sidelined by a knee injury since the boys basketball season.
“I knew I was going to come back at some point. I was just going to take it slow, seeing how my body was feeling, but I was happy to make it back for that game.”
The game delivered several memorable moments. RBHS coach Mark Ori and Libertyville coach Matt Thompson helped by agreeing beforehand to use as many players as possible.
Seniors were prioritized, but everyone on both teams played, all 25 Bulldogs. That included five RBHS pitchers and others used as pinch-hitters or pinch-runners.
“That was a plus. Got good feedback from parents, a lot of support,” Ori said. “[But] it’s hard to do. The outcome, obviously, not what we wanted, but overall it’s once-in-a-lifetime for most people, playing in a big league stadium.”
Assistant coach Ryan Grieve estimated 100-plus RBHS fans attended, including parents, grandparents and non-varsity baseball players and students. The Bulldogs used the downstairs batting cages and traveled through the back tunnels. The stadium’s retractable roof closed during the game.
However, players were not allowed to wear cleats and occasionally slid with their gym shoes. Before pitching a scoreless seventh, senior Kevin Cronin began adapting in the right-field bullpen. He followed two walks with two strikeouts.
“It was something really unique for RB baseball. I think it was a good experience. Definitely something we’ll never forget,” Cronin said.
“Honestly, running up the steps, running onto the field, feeling like a big leaguer, it was everything you could ask for. It was just surreal. Honestly, the views. You’d turn around, look in the outfield. Wow.”
Many players had seen the stadium as fans. It was the first visit for junior Jaden Despe, who has played in a comparably large stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
“It was an awesome experience to be able to play, a dream as a kid playing at an MLB stadium,” Despe said. “It was so much bigger than any of our fields that we’ve played on. You could just feel how big the field is, being so far from everyone. One of my struggles was it was hard for me to see the ball. I don’t know if it was because of the stands or the lighting.”
The Bulldogs enjoyed another great moment on Monday. They clinched the outright Metro Suburban Conference title by beating second-place Ridgewood 9-2 in eight innings.
Ethan Smith had a three-run double and Zachary Ryzewski a two-run single in the eight-run eighth for RBHS (5-0 in MSC). Starting pitcher Marrs struck out 12 in six innings.
