The Wallachs aren’t the first father-son duo to walk that tightrope in professional baseball.
Baseball has more family relationships than any other professional sport, and the heritage of the Washington Nationals started with the Montreal Expos. Baseball bloodlines aren’t limited to just the players.
This article delves into the unique relationship between Chad Wallach and his father, Tim Wallach, exploring their individual baseball careers and shared experiences in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Chad Wallach celebrates with Reid Detmers after a no-hitter. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Chad Wallach: Carving His Own Path
Chad Wallach, a 30-year-old journeyman catcher, has played briefly for three different Major League Baseball teams, including the Reds in 2017.
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He was drafted by the Miami Marlins in 2013 and traded to the Reds on Dec. 11, 2014, along with pitcher Anthony DeSclafani in exchange for pitcher Mat Latos. Wallach appeared in six games for the Reds in 2017 and went 1 for 11. The Marlins claimed him off waivers from the Reds on Nov.
He was behind the plate on Tuesday to handle the no-hitter thrown by Los Angeles Angels left-hander Reid Detmers.
It was just Wallach's second game with the Angels, which is reportedly tied for the fewest games with a team to catch a no-hitter since 1900. Houston Astros catcher Alan Ashby caught a no-hitter thrown by Ken Forsch in 1979 in just his second game for the team.
Wallach, who was playing in just his 80th career game, was behind the plate with regular catchers Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki on the COVID-19 injured list.
Detmers pitched the majors’ second no-hitter this season, cruising after he benefited from a borderline error call in the seventh inning as the Angels beat the Tampa Bay Rays 12-0.
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The 22-year-old left hander threw a career-high 108 pitches in his 11th big-league start, striking out two and walking one. He completed the 12th no-hitter in franchise history when Yandy Diaz grounded out to shortstop Andrew Velazquez to end the game.
Wallach also homered, making him just the fourth catcher to reportedly catch a no-hitter and homer in the same game since 2000.
Chad Wallach’s ability to handle the pitching staff was the deciding factor in his being the Marlins’ starting catcher during the playoffs.
According to manager Don Mattingly, Wallach has great hands and a good feel for the game.
"Chad just got on a roll," manager Don Mattingly said.
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College Career
- 2013: ABCA/Rawlings West Region Second Team, Big West Conference Second Team. Drafted by the Miami Marlins in the fifth round (142 overall) of the 2013 MLB Draft.
- 2012: Part of the three-man catching rotation. Appeared in 32 games and batted .206 with four doubles and seven RBIs.
- 2011: Appeared in 20 games, four as a starter. First collegiate hit came in second game on Mar. 26 at Hawaii.
High School
Was a two-year letterwinner for Head Coach Doug Adams at Calvary Chapel High School in Santa Ana, Calif. • Was a first-team All-Orange Coast League honoree after batting .400 with six home runs and 33 RBIs as a junior • Hit .489 as a senior with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs earning first-team All-Orange Coast League and All-CIF Second Team Recognition • Was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft in the 43rd round.
Chad and his dad, Tim Wallach, are the first father-son combo to each homer for the Angels.
Tim Wallach during his time as a coach. (Photo: Daily News)
Tim Wallach: A Baseball Veteran
Tim Wallach, a five-time MLB All-Star, is currently the third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In 1979, Tim Wallach and Kurt Kingsolver helped lead the Cal State Fullerton baseball team to the first of its four national championships. Both moved on to play professionally.
Tim, a member of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame, had his number 29 retired by CSUF. But the school permitted Chad to pay tribute to his father by wearing it while a Titan.
“Number 29 was retired, and the coaches here my freshman year asked if I wanted to bring it out of retirement while I was here so I could wear it,” Chad said.
Tim Wallach stepped away from the Marlins at the end of last season to be closer to family. His wife, other sons and grandkids are back in southern California, a continent away from Miami.
Balancing Roles: Dad and Coach
It’s not an easy question for Tim Wallach to answer: How did you balance the roles of “Dad” and “bench coach” when you were both inhabiting the Marlins dugout in 2018-19?
“It was - it’s great …,” said the former big-leaguer who served as the Marlins’ bench coach from 2016-2019, “and then there’s also the other side. The main worry I had (was) that people would think that because I’m there, he didn’t earn it … certainly, I was excited that he made the club in ’18 and was there in ’19 and all that. But I’m probably happier now that I’m not there because it’s all about him, and you know what? … He’s earned his opportunity. And he’s earned everything he’s got in the game.”
The Marlins’ relationship with Chad began before Tim arrived; they drafted the Cal State Fullerton catcher in the fifth round of the 2013 draft, back when his dad was a member of manager Don Mattingly’s staff with the Dodgers.
By the time Mattingly and the elder Wallach arrived in South Florida, Wallach was gone. He, along with Anthony DeSclafani, had been traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Mat Latos before the 2015 season.
When the Marlins claimed him off waivers from the Reds after the 2017 season, it wasn’t because he was Tim’s kid.
While he hit just .091 for the Reds in six games, he had gotten on base at a .333 clip in AAA while developing a solid reputation as an excellent teammate with good hands and the ability to frame the ball.
In short, he was the quintessential backup catcher, something the Marlins needed since they already had a superstar everyday backstop in J.T.
The following spring, when Realmuto started the season on the IL with a back contusion, Wallach made the Opening Day roster, splitting catching duties with Tomás Telis and Bryan Holaday (and beating out Austin Nola, who was designated for assignment).
When Realmuto returned, Wallach found himself in AAA, but was back in the big leagues by July. Three days later, it was back to New Orleans. September, back to Miami.
After once again making the Opening Day roster - this time as a backup to Jorge Alfaro, who had been acquired from the Phillies in the Realmuto trade - he once again found himself off the roster in fairly short order. This time, however, his departure was due to a concussion.
It happened on May 21, and at the time it wasn’t expected to be a long-term injury - he didn’t even leave the game in which it occurred. But three separate rehab stints failed, each time with Wallach unable to shake symptoms. He missed the remainder of the season.
By January, Wallach was symptom-free and over the concussion, but without any game experience since May, he would be forced to compete with the newly signed veteran Francisco Cervelli (himself the victim of multiple concussions throughout his career).
After starting the second game of the season, Wallach didn’t make it back on the field until Aug. 30, and not again until a week later on Sept.
“We talk a lot,” relief pitcher Richard Bleier said. “After I pitch, I’ll throw four pitches, and we’ll sit there and we’ll talk longer than my outing was about things we were trying to do, things we would have done if different things had happened. And I think that goes a long way in preparation for the next game … knowing that stuff and retaining that information, I feel like plays a big part in my next outing, where he knows my thought process. He knows everyone else’s thought process the same way.”
By “riding this wave,” Mattingly means starting Wallach over Alfaro in both games of the first round against the Cubs.
“He’s been doing a great job with those guys,” Mattingly said. “We kind of prioritize that (defensive) end of it over the offense. And we know Jorgie (Alfaro) has the capability of doing some big things offensively. But in this setting, we felt like we want to prioritize the way Chad handles the pitching staff.”
Both factors were showcased brilliantly in Round 1. Starters Sandy Alcantara and Sixto Sánchez, with help from Bleier, Yimi García, Brandon Kintzler and Brad Boxberger, combined to hold the Cubs to just one run over two games. In the second game, with the score tied 0-0, Wallach made a beautiful tag at the plate that prevented Willson Contreras from scoring the game’s first run.
An underdog who has been through a ton of adversity the last few years only to grind it out and succeed in the 2020 postseason by maximizing pitching and defense? It sounds like Wallach might very well be a microcosm of the team he plays for.
“I don’t know if I’d say I’ve embraced the role of an underdog on a team of underdogs,” Wallach demurs. “I think we’ve all just embraced the underdog mentality. I think it pushed us a little bit. We didn’t have many people that believed in us going into this, but we saw it. The whole team saw it; everybody in this organization saw it, starting at the first (day) of spring training to summer camp. We saw the talent that we had, and I just think us knowing that and now showing everybody else, it just drives us.”
He and his dad, Tim Wallach, are the first father-son combo to each homer for the Angels.
Those who attend a game this season, however, will notice that there is still a Wallach and a Kingsolver on the CSUF roster. There’s a solid chance they’ll be in the starting lineup, too.
Tim and Kurt went on to have sons after their college careers, and each have one playing for the 2013 Titans-catcher Chad Wallach and outfielder Austin Kingsolver. Both have played a role in CSUF’s 28-4 start and No. 4 national ranking.
Though their fathers have certainly set a high standard, the sons of ‘79 are going about their business like anyone else.
“We’ve both had to pave our own way to get here. It wasn’t just handed to us,” said Austin. “There’s always pressure here to do well because it’s Cal State Fullerton, but I don’t think there’s any footsteps I need to fill.”
“Obviously both our fathers were great players, but I think we’re our own players,” said Chad. “He (Austin) is probably different than the way his dad played. I know I’m different than the way my dad played, and you can’t try to live up to their standards, because to be honest, my dad’s numbers were pretty ridiculous (.392 BA, 39 HR, 182 RBI in 132 games during the 1978 and 1979 seasons; 1979 Sporting News College Player of the Year), so I think if I try to live up to that, I’m gonna fail for sure. So I just try to be my own guy and do what I can for the team.”
Chad and Austin have yet another thing in common-from a young age, they received instruction from their baseball-savvy fathers.
“He taught me all the fundamentals, how I should play the game,” Austin said. “And then he just let me grow from there.”
“My dad coached me all through little league and travel ball, so I grew up playing for him,” Chad said.
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