Update Wed. Aug. 21, 2024: First baseman Chandler Redmond has been transferred from Springfield (AA) to Memphis (AAA). He got the call-up in this inspirational story.
Original Post: July 12, 2023
By Sally Tippett Rains
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – For those looking for the Birds on the Bat with a team that is consistently winning this year, you might want to travel the three hours down I-44 to watch the Springfield Cardinals, who are a perfect 8-0 at Hammons Field and playing some exciting baseball.
It was the eighth inning and the Cardinals were trailing 6-5 when Redmond stepped up and launched a two-run homer to put the Cardinals ahead 7-6 and keep the home winning streak in tact. Redmond might never have been there for all that is going on in hs life, yet he was and his story can inspire others to never give up.
Guess who ended up with the ball? Walker Redmond, his 21 month-old son.
Redmond’s wife, college softball star Kristan Lowry Redmond, was sitting on the grassy berm in the outfield at Hammons Field with their son when Redmond hit the blast. The ball went to right center and a member of the grounds crew was able to let Kristan go pick it up.
It has been quite an emotional time lately for Redmond and his family as his mother, Dawn, has been battling serious health issues. In fact, she has gone into cardiac arrest two times since February.
But it doesn’t stop her and Chandler’s father Jack from following their son’s baseball career.
“Jack and I had the game on, on Gameday,” she said. They knew about the record-tying home run as soon as he hit it.
The long ball has been very good to Redmond in recent years as in 2022 he hit for the home run cycle, also while playing for Springfield, hitting a solo homer, a two-run homer, a three-run homer and a grand slam in the same game. It has only happened twice in the history of minor-league baseball.
Last season, Redmond led the Texas League with 31 homers while finishing third with 92 RBIs. A logjam of first basemen in the top levels of the Cardinals’ system sent him back to Springfield to start this season instead of earning a promotion to Triple A Memphis, which many thought he deserved. But the homerun record story started before spring training.
Just before he left for spring training this year Redmond spent a lot of time at the intensive care unit at the hospital back home in South Carolina– as his mother was battling for her life there for four days.
“He was there every day,” said Dawn Redmond.
“It was weighing on me quite a bit, while she was in the hospital,” Redmond said. He even wondered if he should stay home, but she was doing better and he went to spring training.
At the end of the spring, when he was told he was being sent back to Springfield, Redmond had his own disappointment regarding baseball– and his mom’s health on his mind.
“It was still weighing on me with what I should do … and if I should just retire and come on home,” he said. “My mom was really sick and I wasn’t able to be there for her and it just felt like everything was telling me to just pack it in and take it home.”
And the doubts about himself crept in.With all those “signs” pointing to packing it in, he thought about quitting. But he didn’t quit. Something kept him going. Had he given into his emotions he never would have been in Springfield to hit that homer and add another accolade to his baseball resume. To an outsider one would say, ‘how can you go from hitting 31 home runs the year before to considering quitting?’– but there he was with a big decision to make.
“I prayed about it and prayed about it and talked to my wife and the thing that kept coming back was while it is completely okay if I want to come home and be done– how cool is it going to be telling Walker my story someday and getting to say that I never gave up and God always provided,” Redmond said.
“If God can use me to give Him the glory then all the struggles will be worth it.”
She has had to miss going to Springfield this year as she did last year– shown in the photo, left, with her friend, Mandy Rister. She is the one in the Dollywood shirt.
Less than two weeks ago, Redmond’s mother went into sudden cardiac arrest and her husband performed CPR until she regained consciousness. A cardiac arrest can result in death within minutes if proper medical care is not provided.
“I know he’s been worried about me” she said. She had been scheduled for a surgery to implant an ICD on a Tuesday but suffered the heart stoppage the night before.
According to the Mayo Clinic, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a small, battery-powered device that monitors and regulates the heart’s electrical activity.
She ended up having surgery the next day near their home in Lake Murray S.C., not too far from Columbia, S.C. but 873 miles away from Springfield, a distance that both mother and son try to mitigate by staying in constant contact.
“Our faith is so important to us, so that is what has gotten us through this trial,” said Dawn. “We know that God holds the future and we are trusting Him.”
Though Redmond had doubts he stayed true to what he felt God telling him to do; and he worked hard. Every day we are faced with doubts and fears about are we doing the right thing– and during tough times it is sometimes difficult to hang on.
“I am happy that Chandler’s story will continue to be an inspiration to many,” said his mother. “He has worked so hard to get to where he is.”
“Hitting the homerun didn’t provide any relief at all,” said Redmond. “But I’ll be honest by saying it was the first time the whole season I had fun– and getting to share that with Walker and Kristan just made it 10 times better.”
Family is everything to the Redmonds.
And 873 miles away his mom and dad were having fun knowing he was finally having fun.
“I was just so excited and happy that Kristan and Walker were there to share that special moment with Chandler,” Dawn Redmond said.
Rob Rains contributed to this story
Photo credits: Springfield Cardinals, Sally Tippett Rains
Author
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Sally Tippett Rains started her sports media career at KMOX Radio Sports (writing/producing for Bob Costas, Jack Buck, Bill Wilkerson) in the late 1970′s, early ’80′s then switched to book writing and charity work while raising their children.
She also wrote "Choose Happy; Find Contentment in Any Situation," which comes in Black & White or Color versions.
