Mark Schlereth isn’t a former Bronco or an ESPN analyst this weekend. He’s a dad.
Schlereth and his entire family, including his father Herb and mother Janette, who flew in from Anchorage, Alaska, are spending the weekend at Coors Field pulling for Schlereth’s son, Daniel, a left-handed reliever for the Detroit Tigers.
“When we saw the schedule at the beginning of the year, I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I can’t believe he’s in Denver on Father’s Day. This couldn’t be any better,” Mark Schlereth said.
The Schlereths were on the field watching batting practice before Saturday’s game. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Schlereth estimates he will travel to 20 to 30 Tigers games this season from coast to coast.
As happy as he is that his son has made his mark in the big leagues, Schlereth was hoping he would pitch a little closer to home. As in, Coors Field.
The Rockies had a shot at Daniel in the first round of the 2008 draft. They instead chose left-hander Christian Friedrich with the 25th pick. One selection later, the Arizona Diamondbacks picked Schlereth.
“I’d still like to see him pitch here,” Mark Schlereth said. “I lobby for it every day.”
To whom?
“Anybody who’ll listen to me.”
