It was Jackie Robinson Day at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, and like everyone else, Ben Williamson was wearing number 42. As he reached the top step of the dugout, on deck to being on deck, he had a few seconds to soak it in.
Three days earlier, he had been told by his Triple-A manager in Tacoma, Wash., he had been promoted. And now, after his first team flight as a Seattle Mariner, he was minutes away from digging in for his first Major League at bat.
"I was still kind of pinching myself," said Williamson, the 12th William & Mary baseball alum to make it to The Show. "But once I got in the box, it kind of locked in for me that it was the same game I grew up playing.
"It was the same thing except for more cameras and people. And a lot more outside noise."
Also, the pitchers are nastier. But after falling behind Reds lefty Nick Lodolo 0-2, Williamson lined a changeup through the left side to do something Mariners' legend Ichiro Suzuki did not — get a hit in his first MLB at bat. At 106 MPH off the bat, it was no lucky dribbler that snuck through.
Williamson's parents and sister, three of the 17,000-plus in the stands, could be heard back in Chantilly. Also making their fair share of noise were Mark Trotta '22 and Rojo Prarie '22, '23, two of Williamson's former Tribe teammates who also made the trip to Cincinnati.
"I felt like I was floating at that point," said Williamson, who now wears number 9, as he did with the Tribe. "Having that moment with my family was the most important part for me.
"They've sacrificed so much — put me through school, travel ball, made all the games growing up. It was a surreal moment for all of us."
(Photo courtesy of Ben Williamson)
Three of Williamson's former teammates — Prarie and Trotta at W&M, Kyle Schofield '24 at Freedom High — made it a mission to be there. Prarie drove from Northern Virginia to Baltimore to Scofield and then stopped in Pittsburgh for Trotta.
After watching the Pirates and Paul Skenes beat the Nationals Monday night, they made the 300-mile drive to Cincinnati for Williamson's MLB debut Tuesday night.
"When we all got up Sunday morning, we texted each other and said, 'It doesn't matter what we're doing, we have to be there for Ben's debut,'" Prarie said. "It was a drivable distance and we were all able to get some time off to watch him."
As a life-long friend, Schofield didn't want to be anywhere else that night.
"It was unbelievable," said Schofield, who played college baseball at Christopher Newport and earned his M.Ed. at William & Mary. "Being able to grow up with him and live with him, especially that senior year, it was obviously how much he wanted it."
After Williamson's milestone hit, the ball made its way to the Mariners' dugout for safe keeping. After it was certified by MLB, Williamson gave the ball to his parents, Andrew and Regena, to take home.
"I didn't trust myself to not lose it," Ben Williamson said.
Four days later, with the Mariners in Toronto, Williamson had another first. In the top of the seventh, with the Mariners' trailing 3-2, he crushed a Jose Berrios' sinker over the left field wall. Blue Jays All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. congratulated him as he rounded first base.
Williamson, who homered four times in 645 plate appearances in the minors, isn't known for his power. But this one, as Aaron Goldsmith exclaimed on the Mariners' broadcast, was "high and deep!"
"I knew it was gone, but I don't hit many homers," Williamson said. "I still ran really hard out of the box and I got a little bit of crap from the guys on the bench when I got back in. They were like, 'You literally could have walked around the bases.'"
Williamson also has that ball thanks to some crafty deal making by the Mariners' clubhouse manager.
Through his first 52 games, mostly in the No. 8 spot, Williamson is batting .253 with a home run and 13 RBI. His .983 fielding percentage is the highest among American League third basemen.
(Photo courtesy of Ben Williamson)
"This is a kid we see a lot of promise in," Mariners manager Dan Wilson told Goldsmith. "He's done a great job at third base. That's one of the things we knew we could get with Ben, that solid defense.
"His (offensive) approach fits with our approach, which is using the middle of the field. He's so disciplined about staying true to who he is, and that's a great sign of maturity for a young person."
You've seen videos of Triple-A managers calling a player into his office and playing around before telling him he's going to the big club? Williamson has one.
"JR called me into his office," he said, referring to Tacoma Rainiers skipper John Russell. "I saw two of the coaches kind of follow me in, so I knew something was up.
"He sat me down and was like, 'Hey, you've been playing every day, so we're going to give you the day off tomorrow.' Then he said, 'And don't expect to get in for a pinch hit at the end of the game, either, because you won't be here. You're going to Seattle.'"
That was on April 12, a Saturday. He was immediately off to the Emerald City, about an hour's drive from Tacoma, but didn't play in the Mariners' Sunday game. He then boarded the team plane for Cincinnati, and the journey began.
Williamson met with his family for dinner Monday night. That's when he learned he would be starting Tuesday's game.
Williamson was on an adrenalin rush for the first couple of weeks, but reality soon hit. He was understandably awed by playing on the same field as Aaron Judge and Mike Trout. And at a cathedral like Fenway Park, though he kept his poise enough to go 5-for-10 in a three-game set.
Williamson's MLB debut came after only 150 minor league games, 14 at the Triple-A level. That's the fewest by a Mariner player since Mike Zunino in 2013.
"It was much quicker than I thought, but I also didn't set that expectation," Williamson said. "I feel like just getting into pro ball in the first place was an achievement.
"Now I'm just going to do my best every day and see how far it takes me. I don't know how I made it here, but I did and I'm super grateful."
