Jimmy Mulvaney: Bigger than baseball

Jimmy Mulvaney has a 2.08 ERA and 17 strikeouts this season in 13 innings pitched for the Blues this summer. While Jimmy is a great pitcher, he is an even better human being. 

On July 17, Jimmy's best friend Austin Nace passed away at 21 years old. Austin was diagnosed with Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) (Type I: Hurlers' Syndrome) MPS affects the joints, brain, skeleton, organs and nervous system and essentially the entire body. 

Jimmy met Austin in second grade when on the first day of class they sat next to each other, and were friends ever since. 

"Didn't necessarily feel bad for him," Mulvaney said. "But he was different and I wanted to get to know him and we became very good friends. 

One of the reasons Jimmy and Austin became such good friends was their mutual love for the game of baseball. Despite not being able to play, Austin would always show up to Jimmy's games growing up and be in the dugout to cheer on the team. 

"There was never a day that kid wasn't smiling," Mulvaney said. "Whether it was a hard day for us or whether it had been a tough week for him, you could never tell. He was always smiling, always happy, and just a great guy to be around." 

For somebody who was going through so much, Austin always brought a positive attitude and shined a light wherever he went and the light clearly shined on Mulvaney. 

"It would put things in perspective," Mulvaney said. "Whatever I was upset about or anyone on the team, whatever we were upset about, whether it was with the game or not, you know that Austin is going through more than we could ever imagine, and there's never not a smile on his face so it definitely taught us a big lesson." 

Because of MPS, doctors gave Austin about 10 years to live. But Austin overcame those odds and more than doubled the medical expectations. 

"Everyone I talk to says I'm so sorry for your loss," Mulvaney said. "It obviously is a sad thing, but to have him around for as long as we did and to have someone like that in my life in general I'm so blessed, and very lucky." 

Mulvaney honored Austin every time he took the mound long before he passed. Mulvaney wears a purple wristband on his arm and has the initials AN carved into his glove. 

Just two days after he passed, Mulvaney pitched the final inning in the Blues 5-0 win over the Martha's Vineyard Sharks. He went three up three up three down, and struck out the last batter and pointed to the sky, dedicating the outing to Austin. 

"I know he's looking over me," Mulvaney said. "I felt like I was almost not even in control. I know he was with me."    

Despite his limitations and never being able to swing the bat or hit the ball, the game of baseball was such a big part of Austin's life, and it goes to show that at the end of the day some things are bigger than the box score. 

"You don't have to be a good player to be a good teammate," Mulvaney said. "I think that's definitely what he taught me… He had such a big effect on us without ever being able to play the game." 

While Austin is gone, Mulvaney makes sure he is never forgotten along with the rest of his friends and family. 

Written by Ryan McKenna.