With his debut for the Texas Rangers against the Seattle Mariners on Friday (September 13, 2024), Kumar Rocker heralded a trailblazing moment in baseball history. The 24-year-old became the first player of Indian origin to take the field in Major League Baseball (MLB), one of America's most well-known sporting leagues. (More Sports News)
The milestone assumes greater significance, considering India's at-best-tenuous connection with baseball.
Take into account Kumar's obstacle-laden journey, and the achievement becomes even more inspiring. Born to an African-American father and a mother of Indian descent, he recently underwent Tommy John surgery and was in rehabilitation for the past two months.
During this time, Kumar was hoping just to stay healthy while dreaming of making an impression in minor league games. He did that and more, turning out for Texas Rangers against the Seattle Mariners in Seattle, and impressing straightaway.
Tommy John surgery is a procedure in which a partial or fully torn ulnar collateral ligament on the medial side of the elbow is replaced with a tendon from another part of a patient's body or from a cadaver.
Kumar was fully supported by his parents, and recovered in time for his much-anticipated MLB debut.
His mother's parents immigrated to the United States from Andhra Pradesh. His parents met when his mother, Lalitha, also known as Lu, was a student at the University of Maryland and his father Tracy was playing for the Washington Redskins.
Tracy had a superb stint in the NFL (National Football league) for two seasons and now works as a defensive line coach with the Tennessee Titans. He has been coaching them for the past seven seasons, having previously worked with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2021 to 2023.
During his playing days, Tracy turned up for Washington Commanders (formerly known as Washington Redskins) in 1989 and 1990, starting 17 games over two seasons.
Kumar's mother Lu is an educator.
With his parents cheering on from the stands, Kumar didn't get off to the best of starts but regrouped to make a mark by the time the match ended with his team's victory.
"It means a lot to me. I think it means more to my mom. She always let me know that I was Indian growing up, being half and half. And I think she is going to be really happy about it," Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
His parents were expectedly delighted too.
"It's been an incredible journey and he has just come out fighting, putting his head down and, and just, just working hard. And he did phenomenal. He was so good out there. That is the nastiest pitch," his mom Lu told PTI.
"We were in shock. I mean, this is just so amazing to see. We talk about this all the time. How these debuts are a dream come true for parents, for the kids."
Asked if this was something they always saw Kumar doing, his father responded, "Yes, we always saw it. She saw it (pointing to his wife) before I did."
Lu added, "At two years old, I told my husband he is going to be a pitcher. Yes, it is a dream come true for all of us."
Asked about her son's fine comeback, riding on his calm demeanour, Lu said, "He gets that from his dad, he has been training for a very long time. His dad gave him great advice: just get out there and you take control and all the skill form his mom."
(With PTI inputs)
