Chicago White Sox's Delmonico 'happiest boy in the world'
He's going to have good days and bad, but Tuesday's overall experience might be as good as it ever gets for Nicky Delmonico.
"It feels amazing," Delmonico said after getting called up from Class AAA Charlotte and making his major-league debut with the Chicago White Sox. "It's something that I can't describe. I'm the happiest boy in the world right now."
Delmonico replaces outfielder Willy Garcia, who is on the disabled list with a concussion after colliding with teammate Yoan Moncada on Monday.
In the Sox's 8-4 loss at Guaranteed Rate Field, Delmonico struck out on three straight pitches from Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman in his first at-bat.
The 25-year-old left fielder grounded out in his next two at-bats before getting his first hit - a single in the eighth inning.
"It was good to get it behind me," Delmonico said. "It was definitely awesome to do it in the first game, in front of my family. It was special."
In the seventh, both benches cleared after Stroman struck out White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson.
As he walked back to the bench, Anderson glared at Stroman, the two exchanged words, and the Sox and Jays spilled out of the dugout. No punches were thrown, and Anderson and Stroman remained in the game.
After the game, Anderson had no regrets.
"Just the way he carried himself, I felt like I felt disrespected," Anderson said. "I had to do what I had to do."
Stroman is animated on the mound, and he likes to quick pitch. Anderson started getting angry before he struck out.
"He's going to try to throw me off, so why not step out and try to throw him off?" Anderson said. "It was one of those things where I stepped out and he just complains and cries like he always does. That's what it led to."
Said Stroman: "It seemed like he wanted to talk the entire way back to the dugout after striking out. I got the ball back from (third baseman Josh) Donaldson after throwing the ball around, and he was still continuing to talk, so I asked him what he was saying. He continued to talk more, so I walked toward the dugout.
"I thought he had a problem. I don't understand why he would be running his mouth walking back to the dugout. It made zero sense to me."
The bad blood quickly cooled, and Delmonico still was beaming when the game ended.
Reaching the majors is difficult for most players, but Delmonico had to overcome a tough stretch in the Brewers' farm system, when he took a leave of absence and was later suspended 50 games for amphetamine usage.
Delmonico was taking Adderall for his attention-deficit disorder, and he was released by Milwaukee.
White Sox assistant general manager Buddy Bell knew Delmonico and his father, Rod, who was the University of Tennessee's head coach for 18 seasons.
That led to a minor-league contract with the Sox in February of 2015, and Delmonico was batting .262 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI in 99 games with Charlotte this season. Now he's with the White Sox.
"It's unbelievable, the feeling," Delmonico said. "My heart was beating the whole game. You dream about this moment your whole life, and it was just very special."