Sometimes those major league moments hit just right. Even for a 53-year-old former relief pitcher.
That was certainly the case for Todd Jones Tuesday night.
The Tuesday night Bible study at the former Red Sox reliever’s Alabama home was on TV.
Jones and his group gathered around the television to first celebrate the introduction of Garrett Whitlock - the 25-year-old who was had been sitting that same den a year before, living life as a Yankees minor-leaguer. Four hours later, the party was punctuated with the image of Christian Vazquez jumping into the arms of Whitlock upon securing the final out of the Red Sox’ Wild Card win over New York.
“That’s huge, man. I played my entire career, went to the World Series and lost and was in some big games. But I never got a chance to dog-pile when I was on the bottom,” Jones told WEEI.com. “Alex (Cora) made a point to acknowledge what Garrett has done for Boston, for the team, by letting him experience that. As an old guy when you’re sitting at home and smell like cabbage and you have had 10,141 days off, you think about those moments.”
It was the latest highlight for a journey Jones has found himself unexpectedly along the ride for.
The pitcher whose history with the Red Sox was pitching as part of the 2003 team now finds himself knee-deep in this Red Sox run thanks to an out-of-nowhere friendship with one of the club’s most important players.
“He’s been the biggest guy I’ve leaned on,” Whitlock told WEEI.com. “He’s been a guy who texts me every once in a while, just checking in and giving me a ton of advice. He has just been a huge inspiration and mentor for me.
“You alway appreciate anyone giving you advice, but it means a lot coming from someone who has spent 15 years in the big leagues and knows exactly what you have been through and knows exactly what you’re going through. With faith, with relationships with family and stuff like that. For someone who has been through it, they can talk to you and appreciate what you are going through.”
The story involving the pair starts in Birmingham, Alabama back in 2020 when both were rehabbing injuries at Dr. James Andrews facility with physical therapist Kevin Wilk. Both were from Alabama. Both were pitchers. Both lived lives deeply rooted in faith. Whitlock was simply a Double-A hurler coming off Tommy John surgery, but that didn’t matter. The owner of 319 career major league saves was going to do what he could to help his new young friend.
“We just started hanging out,” explained Jones. “The fact that he mentioned me is really nice, but my advice to him is trust Alex Cora and listen to Jason Varitek. We would talk periodically throughout the year. He got a loss one night and we talked a little about walking into the clubhouse the next day like nothing happened because your starter needs you. He just let me into his world. I’m just an old guy living vicariously through him. It’s just so neat what happened to him.
“This kid has all sides of the ball covered. He’s a wonderful human being. He’s a fierce competitor on the field. He’s a great teammate. He’s a perfect rookie. He has family that supports. And Jordan, his wife, is a genius. You’re looking for a crack and there just isn’t one.”
While Jones might downplay his importance in Whitlock’s emergence, the Red Sox rookie doesn’t.
This is a first-time big leaguer under the spotlight of Boston baseball, doing so while away from his wife, Jordan, who in the middle of receiving her PHD in genetics at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. The ups. The downs. The injury. There has been nothing too big or small that Jones hasn’t been a sounding board for.
“I laugh because when we were in Tampa and he texted me saying, ‘Enjoy today. Don’t forget your phone charger at the hotel.’ He just texts me little random stuff,” Whitlock said. “When I feel down on myself he texts to make sure you feel better. Such a great guy.”
The back-and-forth texts will keep coming. From Whitlock the latest might be the on-the-field photos he took prior to Tuesday night’s game on the Fenway field, when he walked out alone just to soak in the moment before the postseason chaos truly kicked in. For Jones, it was a screenshot this Bible study buddies took off the TV, catching there guy’s reaction to closing out the most important game of the 2021 season.
“It was Garrett in a nutshell,” said Jones of the reliever’s expression in the snapshot. “It’s perfect.”
He then added, “Garrett has let me into his world. This is all stuff that he has done. We’ll talk back and forth. Just like anybody else, you just kind of need that reinforcement that you’re doing the right thing. He can bounce things off of me and I can say, ‘Trust the process. Today is a new day.’ Garrett talks a lot about Alex and how Alex is taking care of him. I guess it does take a village. I’m just glad I’m one of the guys with the torches.
“I’m just thankful that he would listen because that’s kind of the toughest thing for a young guy. We all go through the, ‘Hey, wait until they get a load of me.’ He never did that. He would always listen to what we had to say and maybe translate into what he did. He’s a different breed.”