Mike McLain on Matt McLain's Major League Debut: 'It Was Crazy!'

McLain hit .290 for the Reds in 2023 before missing the 2024 season due to injury.

May 15, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Matt McLain (9) celebrates scoring a run in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It was Mother’s Day of 2023, and Matt McLain had just called his mom Wendy to tell her he was getting called up by the Reds to make his Major League debut.  

“That was a crazy day,” Matt's father Mike McLain said. “We were at USC to watch Nick play, and Matthew called Wendy to tell her he was being called up. We made plans to get out there (Colorado). We get there, and the National Anthem was playing. The draft was a surreal day, but this was even maybe an out-of-body experience.”

McLain couldn’t believe he was sitting in a Major League stadium about to watch his son take a Major League at-bat.

“You’re sitting there watching it and thinking, 'that’s my kid on deck, to hit in the Major Leagues'. That’s kind of crazy.”

McLain didn’t get a hit in his first at-bat against the Rockies, but he hit a ball in the gap his second time up and turned it into a hustle double.

“It’s a wild feeling when you see it. You just try to enjoy it. You try to remember it and take pictures.”

McLain said they had friends there with them to take pictures because he couldn’t process it all while it was happening.

Certainly, that will be a day the McLains never forget.

Watch our full interview with Mike McLain below:

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