Jamie Westbrook thought his manager was joking. You probably would too, after 11 years in the minor leagues. He’d played 1,159 career MiLB games with five different organizations, plus various stints in Australia, Mexico, and independent baseball.
When the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft, he was just out of high school; now, he’s two weeks away from his 29th birthday. Finally, the call was for him. “A lot of tears, it’s been a long time coming,” Westbrook said as he stood in the Red Sox clubhouse on Sunday morning.
“I just wanted to make sure the manager was serious, he wasn’t joking with me. “He called me and he said, ‘Hey, I’m sure there’s been a lot of managers throughout your career that wanted to give this call, but I’m happy it’s me and you’re going to the big-leagues.” The timing couldn’t have been better for utility-man: his wife and seven-month-old son were with him in Charlotte, and the Red Sox also recalled Bobby Dalbec.
“They were able to hop on the flight (with me) last night, and my parents got on a red-eye from Arizona, and then I’ve got a bunch of family here in Mass. that will be at the game today. (The Red Sox) have taken care of that, so it’ll be really cool,” Westbrook said.
The baby even slept through the night, so his rookie dad was able to get some sleep before his big day. “It’s super special. He’s been a good friend of mine for years now, we run a fantasy football tea.