Do not let anyone ever tell you that perseverance does not pay off.
Just ask pitcher Cam Booser, who made his MLB debut at the age of 31 with the Boston Red Sox Friday, allowing a hit and a run in an inning of work in Boston’s 8-1 win.
The left-handed Booser walked away from the game in 2017 after a slew of injuries and setbacks — a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery, a broken back he sustained from being hit by a car while rehabbing his shoulder, and a 50-game drug violation — left him feeling disenchanted.
So, he decided to turn to carpentry, working on acoustical ceilings back in his home in Seattle. He was not bad at it, but baseball always resided in the back of him mind, gnawing at his soul to give baseball another shot.
Pain free and determined, Booser returned to baseball with the Chicago Dogs of the independent American Assocation in 2021, posting a 1-2 record with 1.93 ERA with a decent fastball that helped him notch 39 strikeouts in 23.1 innings of work in 21 contests.
He spent another season in independent baseball with two teams (Amarillo Sod Poddles and Lancaster Barnstormers) before the Red Sox signed him to a minor league contract in 2023. Booser recorded a 4-3 mark with a 4.99 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 57.2 frames in 48 tilts that year with the Worcester Red Sox.
He returned this season, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.70 ERA with 15 whiffs in 6.2 innings in four contests before his call-up.
Yes, dreams do come true if you simply refuse to surrender, no matter what.
— Jerry Del Priore
NY NJ Sports World/Brooklyn Sports World 