Hometown boy makes it to the Major League

Imagine growing up as a young boy playing baseball and following the career of five-time Cy Young Award-winner Randy Johnson, all the while telling your family: "I think I can hit him."

That's exactly what Ahwatukee Foothills resident and 2001 Mountain Pointe High School grad Joe Mather did last week during his Major League Baseball debut at Chase Field in front of a hometown crowd of family and friends. He hit a two-run homer off the famed Arizona Diamondbacks lefthander during his first at bat in the ballpark on Sept. 1.

"It was the high point of my season," the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder said. That, of course, was before the third inning when Mather suffered a season-ending broken hamate bone in his left wrist while trying to check his swing against "the Big Unit." He was taken out in the fourth inning and the D-backs went on to beat the Cards 8-6.

"I went from the highest point of my season to the lowest point in a matter of 30 minutes," Mather said last Wednesday. "It's kind of a wear-and-tear injury from swinging the bat. Over time part of the bone just broke off, but I wasn't sure what it was at the time. I was hurting and knew that it probably wasn't right."

Mather, who turned 26 on July 23, has recently been in the spotlight for the Cards with a hot bat and hustle in the outfield. He was selected by St. Louis during the third round (104th overall) of the June 2001 free-agent draft and was first called up by manager Tony La Russa on May 31 of this year. He was called up again from triple-A Memphis on July 21 to take over for an injured Chris Duncan.

"We saw him a lot in spring training and he's come up through the system and has improved every year," La Russa said last week. "He has made a real impact. He's had a lot of good hits for us."

After surgery last Thursday and an estimated six- to eight-week recovery time ahead of him, Mather's storybook season is over unless the Cardinals make it to the postseason. The rookie played 54 games, hitting .241 with eight homers and 18 RBIs so, whatever happens, his Major League future looks bright.

"He's got plenty of time to heal and have a real good off season of preparation so he can be 100 percent for spring training," La Russa said.

Mather hopes to stay with the Cardinals, but he also knows what happens when players get injured.

"Unfortunately you get called up a lot when people get hurt, but you have to take advantage of the opportunities and I proved I could play here (at this level)," he said. "You wait so long to get here and it's kind of surreal when you do.

"You walk into these big stadiums and it's unbelievable. It's everything you imagine and more," Mather continued. "It's why I think guys want to play Major League Baseball."

Whether he comes back with the Cards next season or not, Mather has definitely enjoyed his time playing in St. Louis.

"I don't think organization-wise, fan-wise, city-wise you can beat St. Louis," Mather noted. "The fans are unbelievable, they treat me well. After my first game I walked out on the street and people knew who I was."

Where it all started

Mather reminisced last week on his baseball career to date. He continues to hold the record for hitting 17 home runs in one season during his senior year at Mountain Pointe.

"My sophomore year I made varsity and my junior and senior years I became a bigger part of the team," Mather said. "By the end of my junior year I knew this was something I could (make a career out of) and it was something I wanted to do. It's been a long road. There were times I wasn't sure I'd be called up, but now that I'm here it's worth it."

Sitting in the visitor's dugout last week, Mather couldn't help but recall when his hometown first acquired a Major League Baseball team in 1998.

"I remember the first Diamondbacks season. My family had season tickets up in the nose bleed section," he said, pointing to the upper deck of Chase Field (which was called Bank One Ballpark at the time), high above left field. "My dad has been coaching baseball for as long as I can remember so I've pretty much been playing for as long as I can remember."

His father, Paul Mather, is the freshmen team baseball coach at Mountain Pointe. Along with his wife, Judy, Paul said he couldn't be prouder of his son.

"We were pretty excited when it was his first at bat in his hometown and he hit a home run off Randy Johnson," Paul said. "There were tears. The biggest thing about Joe is he did everything the right way. Talent is God-given and it's what you do with it that's important."

Seeking out a career in baseball has not always been easy for Mather. He remembers a tough time as if it were just yesterday.

"During my second year in New Jersey (playing low-A ball) I had already seen 30 or 40 guys get released and I was struggling myself," Mather recalled. "My parents came out to visit. I didn't know if I was going to make it and, amazingly enough, it all turned around for me a week after that - both mentally and physically - so their visit couldn't have come at a better time."

Paul Mather, who has coached high school baseball for more than 20 years, remembers that time.

"Baseball is a very relentless game and if you can't deal with failure you won't succeed," he said. "I remember that time, Joe was about 19 and was down in the dumps. He just needed positive reinforcement from me and his mom. I remember we had a lot of group hugs as a family."

During that difficult time, Paul said he explained to his son that his life could not be consumed by baseball all the time if he wanted to succeed in the sport.

"You have to go to the ballpark, give it everything you have, recap after the game and make adjustments, then leave that game behind you and go back tomorrow," Paul said. "Joe has come a long way since then. He's a down-to-earth kid and doesn't let the success go to his head. He gives back by coming back here and helping me coach."

Paul says he is sad for his son - being injured at this time in the season - because "he was at a point with the team where he could have contributed more. Now he'll have to battle again next year for his spot."

However things turn out, Mather himself tells the kids he coaches back here in Ahwatukee Foothills that "if you work hard and want to be a baseball player, you can take yourself as far as you want to go."