Ever a prankster, Schumaker leaves old friend Marmol a special gift

ST. LOUIS -- Like many other managers, Oliver Marmol’s pregame fashion choices are rarely worth noticing. A rotation of team-issued athletic gear is typically the order of the day, which would’ve made Monday’s deviation easy to notice even if it hadn’t been plastered in photos of the smiling face that will spend the week perched in the dugout across the field.

Marmol proudly displayed a black T-shirt reading SCHUMAKER in large letters with a half-dozen photos of Skip, the Rangers' skipper, artfully arranged beneath his last name. The shirt was a promotional giveaway at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, and with a road trip to take on his old friend and former boss just over the horizon, Schumaker made sure to carry an extra in his travel bag for distribution.

“That’s amazing that he wore that,” Schumaker laughed.

The two have a long relationship and friendship that culminated in Schumaker’s place as Marmol’s bench coach with the Cardinals in 2022. In subsequent trips to St. Louis, where Schumaker played eight seasons from '05-12, the well-known prankster has looked for every opportunity to make his mark.

Less of a surprise than Marmol receiving the “gift” was that he was the only person on the Cardinals’ side of the stadium to get one. Current St. Louis bench coach Daniel Descalso, a former teammate of Schumaker’s and a fellow 2011 World Series champion over the Rangers, found himself left out of the one-sided exchange.

“He didn’t deserve one,” Schumaker cracked when asked about the omission. “He doesn’t get one yet.”

Along with some light-hearted ribbing, a return to Busch Stadium always provides Schumaker with the ability to interact with people who shaped his own big league journey, even if he joked that he should avoid discussing his career highlight (the aforementioned championship) given the uniform he’s currently wearing -- and with Rangers television color analyst and 2011 American League champion David Murphy listening in on his pregame media session.

“At the end of the day, it’s about the people, and that still holds true today,” Schumaker said.

“It’s no different, other than you grab drinks afterward,” Marmol said of managing against Schumaker. The two always make for an interesting matchup, having spent an entire season discussing in-game strategy with each other in the depths of decisions on a run to the postseason.

Schumaker agreed, as each complimented the other while acknowledging they have some similarity with how they think and that they strategize similarly to each other.

Does Schumaker plan to take advantage of that inside knowledge through this three-game set?

“Oh, I’m gonna dissect [Marmol] today,” Schumaker said with a wide smile and a laugh in his voice.

He did start the day by dressing his counterpart, after all.