Skip Schumaker goes viral after unique way he welcomed Carter Baumler to Texas Rangers’ roster
Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker gave right-hander Carter Baumler, top center, news that he had made the Opening Day roster on the mound during the team's game Monday at Globe Life Field (Screenshot/Rangers Sports Network). Manager Skip Schumaker said that he wanted to give Carter Baumler a moment he would never forget in welcoming him to the big leagues and Texas Rangers’ roster. ARLINGTON — Going viral isn’t always a good thing for professional athletes, and it’s unusual for a viral moment to happen at the pitcher’s mound during a Texas Rangers exhibition game.
But manager Skip Schumaker pulled it off, in a very good way, Monday night in a meeting with Carter Baumler. Schumaker used a mound visit during Baumler’s appearance at Globe Life Field to inform the rookie that he had made the Texas Rangers’ Opening Day roster. Baumler’s teammates congratulated him in real time, and he responded with an inning-ending strikeout after Schumaker returned to the dugout.
Schumaker had no intentions of going viral. He simply wanted to give Baumler a moment he would never forget, in a moment he had been dreaming of for years. Less than 24 hours later, the video of the moment was making the rounds on social media and blowing up phones in the Rangers’ clubhouse.
“I’m on social media, but I don’t do it a ton, so I’m glad he got his moment that was really good for him,” Schumaker said. “I don’t do stuff for things to become viral or not. Hopefully, when stuff becomes viral, it’s a good thing.
So that part, I guess, is good. “But other than that, I’m just really happy his parents got to see it, really happy his brother, who goes to TCU, got to see it, and that’s what it’s all about. He got to share that moment with his teammates.