Reproduced with permission from Business Insider.
JACK HANNAHAN, THE 25th man on the Cleveland Indians’ roster, ran into a problem last week when his team was playing in Boston, according to Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
His wife was going into labor prematurely. And of course, there were no flights home to Ohio that night.
Joe Speed, Hannahan’s agent, got the call while the Indians were playing. Speed immediately booked the first flight the next morning to Cleveland, knowing it would be too late, and the baby would be born, and then looked into private jets to get Hannahan home that night.
At $35,000 though, the flight was much too expensive for Hannahan who signed a $500,000 contract this year, so he would just go home on the flight the next morning.
But Justin Masterson, the Indians’ pitcher, got wind of what was going on and insisted that Hannahan book the flight.
Masterson passed a hat around the locker room and his teammates chipped in $35,000 immediately.
Hannahan took the private flight home and made it back 15 minutes before his son John Joseph Hannahan V was born. Premature, he weighed just 2 lbs and 11 ounces, but is reportedly doing well.
– Leah Goldman
