Aaron Bummer on Surreal Feelings and the Cherry on Top

Aaron Bummer made 30 relief appearances for the Chicago White Sox this season. The first two were especially memorable. The 24-year-old left-hander stepped onto a big-league mound for the first time on July 27 and promptly struck out crosstown rival Anthony Rizzo. Two batters later, he gave up a bomb to Kyle Schwarber.

On July 29, Bummer entered a tie game with two on and two out in the top of the eighth inning, and retired Cleveland’s Michael Brantley. He then came back out for the ninth and took the loss in atypical fashion. Lifted with two on and two out in the ninth, Bummer watched as the pitcher who replaced him plunked consecutive batters (yes, Brandon Guyer was one of them), forcing in the deciding run.

A few days later, I talked to Bummer about those experiences — and about earning his degree from the University of Nebraska while recovering from Tommy John surgery — when the White Sox visited Fenway Park.

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Bummer on reaching the big leagues: “The past week has definitely been surreal. Things started calming down as I got into a routine — it turned more into just baseball — but now that I’m in Fenway Park… I mean, this is as pinnacle as it gets. Coming here kind of brought the surreal back, kind of got those butterflies going again.

“This is my first time ever at Fenway, so I came out early and looked around, walked up against the wall. I haven’t been out to the red seat [in the right field bleachers where Ted Williams hit a ball in 1946] yet, but the thought of a home run going that far is pretty incredible. The history here is just awesome.

“I’ve mostly tried to stay in the moment, but a few times I’ve gotten to reflect on where I am. Twelve months ago, I was in Great Falls, Montana. Getting invited to spring training. Being in Winston Salem three months ago. What I’m trying to put into perspective is a whirlwind of events. I’m grateful for this opportunity, but when you stop to think about it… that surreal feeling kind of creeps in.

“Had someone told me in Great Falls that I’d be in the big leagues in less than a year… I don’t know what I’d have thought. I was 11 months out of Tommy John surgery, just kind of getting my feet wet. Great things started happening from there — I like to think I’ve earned my opportunities — and now I’m here trying to prove myself a little bit more. I want to keep getting that taste and keep moving forward.”

On his first two outings: “You can’t explain what it feels like, but it’s definitely something I’ll never forget. My first game was Cubs-White Sox, so there was fanfare. The environment was obviously awesome. Making my debut was… I mean, it’s not the same atmosphere as pitching in Great Falls, Billings, Orem. Compared to the Pioneer League, this is a different world.

“The strikeout and the home run… those are things that had to happen. I hope they’re the first of many. I hope it was the first of many Ks, and as much as I don’t want to give up home runs, I know they’re going to happen. Giving up a lot of them will mean I was in the big leagues for a long time.

“It’s kind of funny that it was [Schwarber], because we played against each other all throughout college. We were the same year, and the number of times I saw him hit that exact same pitch 400 feet is too many to count in my mind. I kind of look at it like, ‘Alright, he just added my name to his book.’

“The second game… you roll with the punches, good and bad. The one thing I preach to myself is controlling the things I can control. I got two quick outs in that inning, then walked a guy and gave up a base hit. Those are things I can control. I should have put one of them away and gotten out of the inning. After that, all you can do is hope your teammates pick you up. If they don’t, you go out there next time and pick them up.”

On Tommy John surgery and earning a finance degree: “I had bone spurs and loose bodies taken out in April of 2015. It was basically a precursor, kind of, ‘Let’s not have TJ.’ We were hoping that would fix all of the problems, but in August of the same year I ended up having TJ. I missed all of that year and came back in the middle of July, in 2016.

“One of the benefits, if you can call it that, of having two elbow surgeries is that my seasons were cut short. I was able to go back to school and get credits, and I eventually graduated this past December. I don’t know what I want to do after baseball, but I wanted to specialize in something business that wasn’t basic business. I’d like to be able to take care of my own money one day, so I went with finance — learning about the stock markets, Wall Street, and all that. Those type of things have always interested me.

“It’s funny. Right after I got my degree I was sitting there, waiting for spring training to start and thinking, ‘Crap, I should be doing something with my life now that I’m a college graduate.’ But again, what comes after baseball is something I haven’t put much thought into. I just knew that getting a degree was important to me and to my parents, as well.

“It was awesome of the front-office guys to let me go back to school last year after my short time back on the mound. I made 15 appearances, and I felt great. My stuff was all the way back. I was throwing harder than I ever had before, so I had a good feeling going into spring training. I was anxious to see where things would take me and having gotten my degree was the cherry on top. Hopefully I can pitch for a long time and never really need it.”