Pittsburgh Pirates star Walker visits Ebensburg church to talk baseball and faith
Feb. 5—EBENSBURG, Pa. — Pittsburgh Pirates fans flocked on Saturday to Holy Name Catholic Church in Ebensburg to meet former Pirates star Neil Walker.
"It's exciting to see a player of this caliber come to our small community," said Ron Peterman, 38, of Nanty Glo, with his son Adrian, 11, by his side.
Many fans who followed Walker through his Pirates career from 2009 to 2015 were aware that the former All-Star, now retired, has been outspoken about his Catholic faith.
After speaking to the crowd in the church's hall at 500 N. Julian St., Walker, 37, said he hopes that he especially reached the young people in attendance.
"More than anything, my message is to the youth — to trust in themselves and their faith in relation to sports, school work, relationships," he said.
Walker was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, making his major-league debut with the Pirates in 2009. After playing nearly every position on the diamond from catcher to outfield, Walker settled in as the club's second baseman.
By 2014, Walker was one of the top second basemen in the National League. That year, he had more home runs than any other second baseman in the majors.
He belted his 21st home run of the 2014 season over the Clemente Wall in right field, which is 21 feet high in honor of Pirates' legendary right fielder Roberto Clemente, who wore No. 21 during his career in Pittsburgh.
That moment was important for Walker on a personal level. Before he was born, his father, Tom Walker, almost boarded the plane that crashed and killed Clemente in 1972.
Tom Walker, also a professional baseball player, had banded together with other players in an off-season winter league to help Clemente deliver emergency supplies to victims of a Nicaragua earthquake.
Just before the plane took off, Clemente announced that nobody was going to go except for himself and the pilot. The decision, in effect, saved the life of players including Tom Walker who were prepared to take the flight.
"My dad was at the airport with (then-Pirates catcher) Manny Sanguillén and those guys," Neil Walker said.
Walker's 2014 campaign saw him hit .271 with 23 home runs and 76 RBIs. That year, he earned the MLB's Silver Slugger award at second base.
"Did you play T-ball?" asked Albert Tomkosky, 5, of Westmont. Indeed, Walker did. Walker answered the question and told Albert that skills must be built gradually.
Rev. Brian Warchola, Holy Name pastor, was pleased with the turnout for the event. Walker spoke at noon and signed autographs and took photos with people for a couple of hours after.
"It was a blessed day to meet him and hear from him at the church," Warchola said. "I'm pleased and thankful that so many people came out."
