NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Professional athlete and doctor. Two careers that you don’t typically see on the same résumé. Their long, winding paths almost never intersect. But Mark Hamilton is the exception.
He has a World Series ring from the St. Louis Cardinals. And later this month, he begins his residency in internal medicine on Long Island. Working in a hospital and playing in a sold-out stadium have more in common than you might think.
“That really taught me how to handle high pressure situations,” Hamilton said. “While the ones I’m going to see in medicine are very different and the consequences are very different, I think that experience allows you to learn how to channel the anxiety and mental energy that you have into something positive and maintain focus.”
September will be 10 years since Hamilton’s major league debut. He played in 47 games in two seasons with the Cardinals, filling in for Albert Pujols at first base and pinch hitting late in games. His pie-in-the-face moment came after a tiebreaking RBI single against the Reds on the 4th of July in 2011. The Cardinals went on to beat the Rangers in seven games to win the World Series.
Even with a taste of the big leagues, Hamilton’s heart was still set on becoming a doctor. It’s literally in his blood. His father, Stanley, is the Chairman of the Pathology Department at the City of Hope Cancer Institute in California. So when the Braves released Mark in 2014, just shy of his 30th birthday, he was more than ready for the next step. He graduated from the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in April, a month ahead of schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Going into medicine was something I wanted to do my entire life,” said Hamilton. “So, I really wouldn’t change it. But I have to admit, there are definitely times where you flip on a ballgame and you definitely miss being out there. You miss the camaraderie, the competition.”
Fans are also missing the competition as the owners and the players haggle over the economic details for a potential 2020 season. Hamilton, however, is focusing more on the health and safety side of the equation.
“I think the last thing anyone would want to see is, say we’re playing baseball in October during the playoffs,” Hamilton explained. “All of the sudden, one of the stadiums turns into the breeding ground for the next big wave. So, I don’t know, and I’m not sure anybody does unfortunately.”
Baseball’s future is looking murky these days, but Dr. Hamilton’s future in interventional radiology is crystal clear.