Fox broadcaster John Smoltz honored his late father by calling Field of Dreams game
Hours after learning his father died, Hall of Fame pitcher and Fox broadcaster John Smoltz was at the Field of Dreams to call the Aug. 11 Major League Baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds.
Smoltz managed to keep his emotions in check for most of the day, but was nearly overcome as Ken Griffey Sr. and his son Ken Griffey Jr. emerged from the right-field corn and played catch on the field.
“I was trying to gather myself and just make sure that I did my open (at the beginning of the telecast),” Smoltz said in a telephone interview with The Des Moines Register on Monday.
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Smoltz made it through the pregame festivities and the entire game. The evening was full of reminders of his father, John Adam Smoltz, who was 79. Smoltz vowed to carry on and call the game, just like his dad would have wanted.
The telecast included a touching tribute to Smoltz's father, who was there for his son every step of the way during his playing and broadcasting career.
“I wanted to be able to share the joy that I had (with him),” Smoltz said.
John Smoltz's dad was there for him in his biggest baseball moments
Smoltz’s father was his biggest fan.
When the right-handed pitcher was in high school, his dad made baseball cards featuring his son and handed them out to anyone he met. He’d explain to people, sometimes strangers, that his son was going be a big-league pitcher one day.
He was right.
Dad was there for it all. When Smoltz was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 22nd round of the 1984 draft, his dad negotiated his signing bonus. Smoltz grew up in Michigan and he and his father were die-hard Tiger fans. Smoltz’s grandfather worked at Tiger Stadium and got them tickets for the World Series clincher over the San Diego Padres in 1984. They grabbed pieces of sod from the field that were being thrown into the stands. Smoltz’s dad buried it in the backyard and put up a Tiger statue.
When the Tigers traded Smoltz to the Atlanta Braves in 1987, his father ripped up the grass and threw away the statue.
Smoltz learned about the trade from his father, who offered to drive to Glen Falls, New York, where he was pitching at the time, and take him to Richmond, Virginia, the home of Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate. Smoltz passed on the offer, drove himself and thought about some of the life lessons his father had taught him.
“He was never afraid to laugh, make a mistake or never afraid to learn or never afraid to live like he did,” Smoltz said. "So it was kind of ingrained in me to just get after it and figure out a way and show up.”
PREVIOUSLY: This year's Field of Dreams game still a huge hit with viewers
Smoltz's father was in the stands for some of his son's biggest moments on the mound:
First start with the Braves organization.
When Smoltz made his MLB debut in 1988 at Shea Stadium.
His son's first All-Star Game in 1989.
When the Braves reached the playoffs in 1991.
When Smoltz's dad wasn't there in person, he was watching on TBS. Smoltz went on to pitch 21 seasons in the big leagues, won 213 games and saved 154 more. After he retired, he got into broadcasting for Peachtree TV, MLB Network and Fox. He became Fox's top analyst. Smoltz's dad tuned in anytime John was on the mic.
"I've had him in the booth a few times," Smoltz said. "He thought that was so cool."
One of his father's favorite broadcasts: The Field of Dreams game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox last year.
The 1989 movie tells the story about an Iowa farmer's broken relationship with his deceased father. Smoltz was on the call for last year's game, which included a memorable tribute from the star of the movie, Kevin Costner, and an epic battle between the Sox and Yankees.
"We talked about how awesome it was and just the scenery and the setting and the movie," Smoltz said.
His father was looking forward to seeing Smoltz on the call for this year's game. He never got the chance.
An emotional night at the park for Smoltz
Smoltz stayed by his father's side as long as he could.
Smoltz was told his dad had suffered cardiac arrest and pulmonary arrest. He was hospitalized and put on a ventilator. When he didn't move for six days, doctors realized the outlook wasn't good. Smoltz spent two days in the hospital room with his dad, mother, brother and sister, hoping for the best. Deep down, he knew he was seeing his father alive for the last time when he left for Dyersville to call last week's game.
"I said (to my mother), 'I'll never forget the look on his face at the Hall of Fame in the front row,'" Smoltz said. "It won't be the memory of seeing him laying in the bed."
Smoltz was at the movie site diamond calling a youth baseball game the night before the Cubs and Reds played when the ventilator was removed. Early the next morning, around 1:30 a.m., he learned his dad had died. Smoltz came to the park that day and went to work. Just like his dad would want him to.
Most people didn't know the news. But the way Smoltz looked at it, the game was a great opportunity to remember and recognize his father.
"He would have just been beaming to know that that special game had so many more meanings," Smoltz said.
PREVIOUSLY: Year 2 of Field of Dreams game offers more magic
The beginning was the toughest. Smoltz had to watch a memorable moment involving the Griffeys, an iconic father-and-son baseball duo who came out of the corn to have a catch like Costner's character and his dad did in the movie.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Fox broadcaster Joe Davis told viewers that his broadcast partner's father had died. Fox showed a picture of Smoltz's father on the screen. Smoltz then talked about how much his dad loved baseball, how he supported him in his journey and how he would want him to call the game. Being at the park and sharing the news with viewers helped with the grieving process, Smoltz said.
"The outpouring and just the response was beyond belief," Smoltz said.
Memory of John Smoltz's dad carries on
Smoltz is making sure his father's legacy lives on.
The two had been working on a "Strikeout Baseball" stadium in Smoltz's hometown of Lansing, Mich. The miniature stadium will accommodate small baseball games (with as few as two people playing against each other). The hope is it'll help grow the popularity of the game. The plan is to have a wall for a strike zone so players won't need a catcher. If a batter hits a ball in a specific spot, it would be a single, double, triple or home run.
Smoltz's father was raising money up until the day he got sick. Smoltz said he hopes to break ground soon.
"He was so passionate about it," Smoltz said. "I want to see it to it's completion."
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Smoltz said he still bumps into people that his dad gave cards to years ago. He wonders how many people received those cards. While it made him uncomfortable at the time, Smoltz said he's thankful his dad did it. It's a unique and special memory he'll have of his father.
Being around the game and in Dyersville for a few days helped Smoltz cope with his loss.
"My dad lived a full life and I have memories for the rest of my life," Smoltz said.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: John Smoltz called the 2022 Field of Dreams to honor his late father
