O’Brien’s magical return

Pennsville senior homers in his first at-bat back in the game, drives in 3 in Eagles loss; Burchfield collects 100th career RBI

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

MILLVILLE – Peyton O’Brien never dreamed of having a return like that. It was the kind of thing he could have brought back as a souvenir from Disney on the senior class trip.

The Pennsville senior made his long-awaited season debut Saturday morning at Millville. And wouldn’t you know it, five pitches into his senior season, less than eight hours after getting to bed from that senior trip, he drills a two-run opposite-field homer to give the Eagles a lead.

But it didn’t stop there. He added an RBI single in his next at bat and wound up going 2-for-2 with two walks and three RBIs in a game the Eagles lost 6-5.

“I couldn’t have expected that at all; I kept saying it was like a Disney movie,” O’Brien said. “It was something you only see in the movies. I wasn’t expecting that.

“That was one of the most nervous times I’ve been ever in a baseball game. From not playing in a baseball game since last July … it was crazy. I was not expecting that.”

O’Brien was expecting a banner senior year, but he has been on the mend since feeling something pop in his elbow throwing a pitch during a baseball showcase last September. What he initially thought was just a fracture in his elbow turned out to be a fracture that damaged his UCL. Tommy John surgery was required to repair it with a six-month recovery process.

He missed the rest of football season and skipped the entire basketball season to protect the injury. He only was cleared to hit and run the bases April 30 while in the Magic Kingdom. He was doing some baseball work during the season while coming along, but he didn’t see live pitching for the first time until Saturday morning.

Eagles coach Matt Karr joked during O’Brien’s rehab that he was going to be the greatest trade deadline acquisition in baseball history when he returned. And after one game he has lived up to the analogy.

“It was awesome,” Karr said. “I usually write the lineup on the whiteboard when they come in on game days and I didn’t have it up on the board because we were making some changes, but he knew he was playing today. He just didn’t know that I was going to put him right back in the 3-hole, but that’s his spot and he makes us so much better when he’s hitting there.

“Peyton, forget baseball, he’s one of the best kids I’ve ever coached top to bottom. He’s a leader, he’s a good kid, a locker room guy. He came in this morning on like three hours of sleep, walked past the coaches’ door and was like, ‘Morning, coach, let’s get it done today.’ I’m like, awesome. To have him back in the lineup and then first at-bat to do what he did was freaking awesome.”

Unless he gets a favorable report when he returns to the doctor next week, the Harford (Md.) CC signee is likely will be the Eagles’ designated hitter going forward and even that Karr will take “100 times out of 100.”

Think of the way the Dodgers used Shohei Ohtani after his injuries or the way Bryce Harper returned to the Phillies last year. O’Brien just wishes he could have gotten back that soon. Still, his wait was only about 10 days longer than Harper’s.

The original plan was for him to return Monday against Clayton, but the timetable moved up when Karr was able to get a game with Millville for when the seniors returned from the trip to Disney. O’Brien didn’t really have a lot of time to think about his return, having gotten back in his bed from the trip at around 3:30 Saturday morning.

“I woke up this morning just amped up, just ready to go,” he said. “I started freaking out a little bit before the first at bat. When I saw I was in the 3-hole I started freaking out a little bit, but as soon as I got in the box I settled down a little bit and my confidence came back.”

He took his first pitch for a strike and fouled off the next pitch to fall into a quick 0-2 hole. He drew a ball, fouled off another pitch, then sent the next offering over the centerfield fence, scoring his brother Mason ahead of him.

“It was awesome,” he said. “It would’ve been a little bit better if we had won the game, but it’s just nice to get back. I just hated having to sit in the dugout and watch and not contribute or anything. It feels good to be back and help out my team in any way possible.”

O’Brien’s return wasn’t the only landmark event for the Eagles. Chase Burchfield was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth inning for his 100th career RBI. He collected his 100th hit on April 18.

As the ultimate show of respect to the new guy, the Thunderbolts intentionally walked O’Brien to load the bases to get to one of the best hitters in South Jersey and then they hit Burchfield in the leg to force in the tying run.