Jack Suwinski (Transcript)

Robby Incmikoski: Jack suwinski, you're the 55th interview for this book Brother, thank you. Hey, I want to talk to you a little bit,…
Jack Suwinski: Awesome.
Robby Incmikoski: about a few things because you're a unique case and not a lot of guys like you who dream of playing big league baseball and now you do it for a living. At what point time in your life, did you decide? what is your earliest memory of wanting to play in the big league? Do you remember about how old you were and what level baseball? You were playing.
Jack Suwinski: It was really early. then exact moment, I don't know. It definitely somewhere young…
Robby Incmikoski: Yeah.
Jack Suwinski: because I started playing when I was six or seven T-ball and then it happened somewhere between that age and maybe like 9 or 10, just watching games and playing the game somewhere around them.
Robby Incmikoski: Jack, you have a crazy story and this is one that absolutely has to go in but I know the story because I did it. I've interviewed your dad, we've talked about it, I don't know if you know this, but Jack has a crazy story of how he got his opportunity and the big leagues. So, can you just kind of refresh? What that day was like, you were in double a playing for Altoona. And if I remember correctly, you had just landed in Akron. Ohio, is that, right? Can you take from there about…
Jack Suwinski: Yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: how you got the call? Where you were, when you had to get the PNC park as quick as possible?
Jack Suwinski: like you said, we had just left that morning from Altoona on a bus to Akron. So it was a Tuesday morning.
Jack Suwinski: And then we pulled up at the hotel and then we got a message from the manager just saying, We're gonna have a quick team meeting in the lobby. Yes, everyone got together and then he just made kind of a special announcement. It was cool. Just being able to share that with everyone there. So it was me and tuku and then from there, we just went and The bus took us and we picked up a car and drove the rest of the way.
Robby Incmikoski: So, you and took a pita marcano. Are playing double a baseball for the Altoona ur Quick Team meeting in the lobby Jack and Tookapita are going to Pittsburgh Be. And that drives probably about an hour and a half hour and 45 minutes. So you just rented a car and you and Tuku drove. Is that right?
Jack Suwinski: Yeah, we just drove the rest of the way.
Robby Incmikoski: And then what time do you remember? How long before game time you got the PNC park?
Jack Suwinski: Yeah, we got in late for a game day. it was after four because the team was already working out in the field when I got there. So I made it for the last 15 minutes on field work, something like that. So it was getting late.
Robby Incmikoski: Jack when most people have time they can set up call their family at least a day or two I mean you're talking a couple hours I mean not enough time to get your family there,…
Jack Suwinski: Right. Right.
Robby Incmikoski: to call and tell them how frantic and how when you look back on it how crazy was that day in your life?
Jack Suwinski: Yeah, it went really fast, just from being in that hotel lobby in Akron to trying to get our bags, go to the airport, get the car drive there, being there for the first time. So, don't know where to go. All that stuff and by the time you get in you're talking to the manager and the GM and Seeing guys as they pass through. So I mean it was and then, like you said, trying to call my family and tell them what was happening and trying to answer all their questions at once when I really didn't have any answers for them. But yeah, they went out as soon as they could yeah, those next couple days went really quick.
Robby Incmikoski: The kind of and I don't think I asked you this, but this question could be stupid. Had you been in a big league clubhouse before that with the pod because you didn't come up through the pirate system. You came up the Padres system.
Jack Suwinski: Yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: Had you been done a visit to Petco Park or anything. Had you been in a big league clubhouse before that?
Jack Suwinski: So with the padres they used to finish instructs with a trip to San Diego and we would do a weekend scrimmage against another team that would come down. So we would spend two days there at the end of instructs. But I think that's the only big league clubhouse that I've been in before. Pittsburgh.
Robby Incmikoski: And then all of a sudden you're playing in the big leagues in a situate like that.
Jack Suwinski: Right.
Robby Incmikoski: So if somebody, 30 years from now, you're married and your kids say, Dad, what was it like when you got to call the big leagues? What would you say to What was that day? when you got the call? How would you answer that question?
Jack Suwinski: I mean Is crazy, just getting the news. Yeah, hard to believe at first doesn't feel real at first just with the Situation around it. I mean, it came out of nowhere. So I mean that was a cool surprise, but yeah, it was crazy. It was exciting a lot of fun like a lot of adine. heartbeat and quick and it was cool. It was a lot of fun. I mean, I'd probably just Tell them all that and you know how quick all it all happened. Really?
Robby Incmikoski: Yeah. Yeah, I mean that's just a wild one, That's just a Crazy story, Nope, A lot of people have debuts like that. And speaking of what's it like playing home games, the first home games, to this point in your career at PNC Park, what does that experience like The ballpark …
Jack Suwinski: Yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: how do you like the ballpark? Just how beautiful it is. Everything that comes with it.
Jack Suwinski: Yeah, it's been really cool, time flies now. I mean since I debuted in 22 but Yeah, I mean it's really pretty there. I mean it doesn't get much better than that. Just coming out of the home dugout in the third base side with the city right behind the river. I mean the stadium itself is beautiful. ...