This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon’s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CINCINNATI -- You never know when a life lesson from a father will kick in. Sometimes, it clicks immediately. Sometimes, it could be years later during a fun free throw contest like the one the Reds held among their players, coaches and staff during Spring Training.
Reds rookie Sal Stewart won that contest in camp this past spring. Stewart's father, Sal Sr., was a high school basketball coach in Miami, Fla., and often imparted lessons to his son through that sport. Among them was one about handling pressure moments.
“When I was little, my Dad was like, ‘I need you to be good under pressure. That’s what makes good players great.’ They would put me at the free throw line," Stewart explained. "And if I missed, they’d put a chair out at half court and make me watch the [team] run and it would make me feel like garbage. So I would try everything not to miss.”
Stepping in a batter's box in the Major Leagues and facing a pitcher with triple-digit velocity and heavy movement is an infinitely harder task than shooting baskets at Spring Training, especially in a big moment with a packed stadium.
Stewart won't succeed in every at-bat, but it's not because the pressure was too much for him to handle.
That's where his appreciation for Sal Sr. also comes into play.
“Obviously, our sport and my job is a pressure-ridden sport. It’s a get-it-done league. Sometimes, that comes with pressure but I’ve been dealing with pressure my whole life," Stewart said.
Sal Sr. is frequently around to watch Stewart play for the Reds -- whether it's at Spring Training, in Cincinnati or at road games.
“My Dad is my everything in my life, my best friend," Stewart said. "I can talk to him about everything. Having his support means the world to me and everyone knows how much he means to me.”
Sal Sr. coached basketball until Stewart was about to be a teenager and his pursuit of baseball began to take off. Eventually, basketball took a backseat to helping and supporting his son to become the best he could be at baseball.
“He never missed one of my games when I was little, not one," Stewart said. "And since he had to coach, he missed one of my practices -- just a practice -- and he said, ‘No, I don’t want to miss any of his practices.’ So he quit and was just with me my whole life. He took care of me my whole life. So being here now, it means a lot.”
The lessons and support have continued with a now 22-year-old Stewart playing in the Major Leagues. By season's end, he could be a leading candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. And while he has coaches, teammates and manager Terry Francona, no one knows more about what makes Stewart tick.
“His thing was he always tried to tame me but he never wanted to try to take away from who I was," Stewart said. "Sometimes, I run a fine line with my emotions. Sometimes, it’s a bad thing. Yet again, it’s what drives me.
"He’s always trying to nibble that fine line between not taking away what makes me great, but making sure I keep my emotions in check. Those are definitely things I still work on. I’m human. I have emotions sometimes. He makes sure I ride the fine line of not overdoing it but being who I am.”
For Father's Day this weekend while the Reds are in New York to play the Yankees, Sal Sr. will be there along with Stewart's mother, Rosie, plus his girlfriend and several members of their family to celebrate.
“With both of my parents, I’m the luckiest man in the world," Stewart said. "I have the best parents in the world. They always say they just feel like they’re watching a movie. It’s awesome that they can experience this with me.”