Miami Marlins reliever Tommy Nance doesn’t need too many words to describe his father Mark.
He’s an Air Force veteran and retired firefighter — “the strongest guy I know,” Nance said.
He’s the father of four children and Nance’s “biggest supporter.”
But most of all...
“He’s a fighter,” said Nance, the oldest of four children.
That has been amplified even more lately.
Just over eight years ago — May 22, 2014 — Nance’s father, Mark, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The disease attacks nerve cells and results in a rapid decrease in motor functions and muscle control. The average life expectancy of the illness is two to five years. There is no cure.
“He started to decline quickly at first,” Nance said, “and then it plateaued and it’s been very slow progressing. I know that there are some people who have lived with it for 10-plus years, and some more it’s been six months. So it really just depends.”
And that’s why Thursday is so important to Nance. MLB is celebrating its second annual Lou Gehrig Day to honor the Hall of Famer, two-time AL MVP, six-time World Series champion and seven-time All-Star who died on June 2, 1941, after battling the disease for nearly two years as well as to raise awareness and funds for research of ALS and celebrate the groups and individuals who are leading the pursuit for cures.
While what the league is doing is a positive step, Nance wants to see the momentum continue to build and the efforts from the league to continue to increase.
“There’s more that I want to do,” Nance said. “My ultimate goal is to get everybody in the league to wear No. 4 on that day every year. I’m surprised we haven’t done it yet. It actually kind of blows my mind.”
Until then, Nance is using his platform to make as much of an impact as he can.
During his rookie season with the Chicago Cubs in 2021, he reached out to Marquee Sports Network broadcaster and former Marlins radio voice Jon “Boog” Sciambi about his foundation Project Main Street, which has a mission of improving the quality of life for individuals afflicted with ALS and their families by lessening the financial burden associated with this devastating disease.
He wore an “End ALS 4 LOU” T-shirt that Sciambi designed and has in each of the 30 MLB teams’ colors starting last weekend when the Marlins were visiting the Atlanta Braves. The rest of the Marlins’ bullpen as well as shortstop Miguel Rojas began wearing them, too.
“It’s a disease that not a lot of people still know about,” Nance said, “but there’s so many people that get diagnosed every year. It’s definitely an under-funded disease. We had the Ice Bucket Challenge a few years ago and I think everybody remembers that raised a ton of money. Because of that, my dad actually got to participate in a study, but it does feel like it’s kind of people have forgotten about it again.”
The news of his father’s condition understandably came as a shock to Nance.
Nance had come home from Santa Clara University for a surprise visit to his family. However, no one was home when he arrived. He waited outside before calling his parents, which is when Mark revealed the news.
It was tough news to hear, Nance said. The son had his share of guilt as well, considering he wasn’t home often to help his father.
But Mark has always kept a positive mindset while battling the disease.
And he has always kept a positive outlook on his son’s quest to achieve his dream of being a professional baseball player, one that had a few bumps in the road before making his MLB debut last year.
Nance went undrafted in 2015 after undergoing Tommy John surgery following his senior year at Santa Clara University. He played independent ball with the Windy City Thunderbolts of the Frontier League in 2015 before getting his contract selected by the Chicago Cubs in January 2016.
Even then, he missed two full seasons in the minors — sidelined in 2017 by a nerve injury in his shoulder and not being able to play in 2020 when the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He made his MLB debut on May 17, 2021 — five days before the seven-year anniversary of his dad’s diagnosis.
Mark was in the stands that day as his son threw a perfect ninth inning in the Cubs’ 7-3 win over the Washington Nationals.
“When he first called me, I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Mark Nance said in an interview with Marquee Sports Network last year. “I was in shock. Tears. My wife, Susan, and I were just like, we hugged each other. And I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? You made it. I always believed you could do this.’”
Nance made 27 appearances for the Cubs that year. He was designated for assignment on March 25 and claimed by the Marlins two days later. He made his Miami debut on May 9 and has a 3.60 ERA with 15 strikeouts against four walks over 10 innings in eight relief appearances.
His curveball is his best pitch, holding opponents to a .167 batting average and resulting in whiffs on 53.7 percent of opponent’s swings.
And as Nance continues living out his dream, he plans to remain vocal about finding a cure for a disease that hits close to home.
“Obviously that’s a personal situation for him,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said, “so it’s always good when guys are willing to speak up and bring awareness or even bring money to the situation where people know about it. ... Obviously, ALS has been around a while, but I think it’s always good that guys have personal feelings about things and are able to talk about it and continue to keep awareness out there.”
