Toronto Blue Jays call up former Mundelein pitcher Borucki
A 5-minute, 39-second video foreshadowed what became a reality for Ryan Borucki this week.
When the former Mundelein High School pitcher was in big-league spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays this year, the organization shot a piece on him and his father, Ray, and their respective stories chasing the dream to play Major League Baseball.
"They just sent me the video on Father's Day," said Ray Borucki, a former infielder who reached Class AAA with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1982 but never got called up to the big-league team.
On Sunday, Ryan Borucki was scratched from his scheduled start for Class-AAA Buffalo after being informed he was being called up by the Blue Jays. The 24-year-old Borucki, a 6-foot-4, 175-pound left-hander, is scheduled to make his MLB debut Tuesday night when Toronto plays the defending World Series champion Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
"It's pretty crazy," Ray Borucki said.
For Ray Borucki, seeing his youngest son realize his dream surpasses his own dream of reaching the majors.
"It's definitely better watching Ryan," Ray Borucki said. "Ryan is a much better prospect than I ever was. I get emotional when I talk about it. He's been my best friend since he was 5 years old. I coached him in Little League, travel. I stepped away from coaching (as an assistant) at Mundelein High School when he was there.
"For him to get to this point, it's unbelievable."
Toronto drafted Ryan Borucki in the 15th round in 2012, after he just graduated from Mundelein. He then underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the 2013 season. Elbow and shoulder issues limited him to just 57 innings in 2014 and 5⅔ frames in 2015. After starting last season in Class-A Dunedin, Borucki rocketed through the Blue Jays system, finishing the year in Buffalo.
In 13 starts with Toronto's Class-AAA affiliate this season, he has a 3.27 ERA and 1.169 WHIP with 58 strikeouts in 77 innings.
Ray and his wife, Jackie, were en route to Houston on Monday. They'll be at Minute Maid Park along with oldest son Matt and lots of other family members and friends.
"It's almost turning into something like the movie, 'The Rookie,' " Ray Borucki said with a laugh. "There are going to be a lot of people. I haven't told Ryan. He's got enough to worry about trying to get that (Astros) lineup out."