Ben McDonald, a former MLB No. 1 pick, made a touching tribute to his late father in a social media post on Sunday.
McDonald wrote on X he was out hunting when he began to think about his dad. Suddenly, a giant buck approached him, and he was able to bag him.
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Baltimore Orioles pitcher Ben McDonald, #19, in action against the Chicago White Sox during the 1993 season at Comiskey Park in Chicago in 1993. (USA TODAY Sports)
“I normally don’t share too many of my thoughts on social but this is too good not to share. I lost my dad in January…sitting in a bowstand yesterday enjoying hunting season without him for the first time gave me a chance to reflect on all the hours we spent together on ball fields, basketball courts, and in the deer woods,” McDonald wrote. “I was having a conversation with him telling him how much I miss him and thanking him for everything he did for us and our family and the many sacrifices he made.
“I had a good cry as I wish he was still here for one more hunting season or just to have one more talk….5 minutes after I dried my eyes and focused back on the hunt….out walked an absolute giant….this buck could have gone anywhere in the 6 acre plot but followed a doe to 24 yards under my tree….the shot was true as he bounded out in the middle of the plot and tipped over in seconds!
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Baltimore Orioles pitcher Ben McDonald during the 1990 spring training season. (USA TODAY Sports)
“No doubt this was divine intervention courtesy of the man upstairs and #PawPaw ….the great outdoors is home for me….its where I’m probably most comfortable! It’s not always about the harvest it’s about making memories! This buck will always be know as #PawPaw’s Buck!”
McDonald joked that he does not want anyone to tell his wife that he gets emotional.
McDonald was a star pitcher at LSU before the Baltimore Orioles selected him No. 1 overall in 1989. He became a fairly serviceable pitcher in his prime.
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Baltimore Orioles pitcher Ben McDonald, #19, gets ready to pitch vs the Chicago White Sox in Chicago in 1993. (USA TODAY Sports)
He had a 3.91 ERA with 894 strikeouts in 211 appearances. He spent the final two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. The final season of his career was in 1997.
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