For Levi Tucker of the Colorado Rockies Black Scout team, baseball is much more than a game.
Pitching Thursday for Tucker was no ordinary day on the field. It was a day that he is going to remember for the rest of his life in more than one way. It was the first time that his birth parents got to see him play a baseball game.
Tucker knew that his family would be at Regis University to support him in the Five Tool Colorado Rocky Mountain Wood Bat Championships, but the moment he spotted them in the stands he was filled with emotions.
“My birth family was running late and I could see they weren’t there. I had 2 outs, but had walked the bases loaded and had a full count on the batter when I saw them walk in,” Tucker told Five Tool after his game.
“I had to step off two times to wipe the tears away from seeing my family walk in.”
The Brighton, Colo. native, was also able to do something very few can do on the mound and throw a no-hitter. This was the second no-hitter Tucker had thrown in his baseball career, the first one coming when he was ten years old.
“It meant everything in the world to me just for them to see me play for the first time, much less throw a no hitter. To be able to repeat that when she was watching was like the missing piece to my life’s puzzle had been found,” Tucker said.
Tucker describes the moment as the best baseball moment in his life.
“Baseball has been tied to many of my family moments. My family is always at my games supporting me and now I got to bring my birth family to that too,” Tucker said.
The Garden City Community College recruit took the mound ready to put on a performance and he did just that.
Throughout the first inning, he realized that his fastball was hitting the right spot and started to mix in different pitches throughout the game which in the end made him untouchable. Tucker threw for five innings having struck out nine with no runs or hits allowed.
“I started mixing in some curves but the strike zone was pretty tight, so I went back to my fastball and slider combo. I really didn’t even realize the no-hitter until right before I went in for the final inning,” Tucker said.
His offense backed him up as he was able to walk away with the 12-0 victory.
Baseball has been so much more than a game to Tucker as he continues to grow and have a passion for the sport. He hopes that playing at college and beyond he can help others as well.
“I play for the passion, not the money. I really just want to help others. Money brings opportunities and my dream is to help kids with disabilities play baseball and experience the joy it brings. I want them to feel like major leaguers, and be on top of the world,” Tucker said.
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