Matt Holliday had to cash in huge favor to be at Jackson's first Orioles game
By Curt Bishop
Jackson Holliday finally made his Major League debut on Wednesday night when the Baltimore Orioles took on the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
But his debut was extra special with his father, Matt Holliday in attendance for the big game, along with the rest of his family.
Holliday learned late on Tuesday that his son had been called up to the Major Leagues and had a quick turnaround to get to Boston. In order to do that, he had to cash in on a favor from a good friend, former Orioles and Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar.
Millar offered the Hollidays a ride on his private plane to get to Boston, and they arrived well before the game began on Wednesday night.
"Sometimes, you have to spend that token, and so I did," said Holliday. "I'm probably forever in debt to him, but that's fine."
Matt Holliday cashes in on favor from good friend
Holliday played 15 seasons in the major leagues with the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Yankees.
The seven-time All-Star was not going to miss his son's debut, and it made the moment even more special for the young Holliday.
"To be able to look over there and have my dad and my brother and my grandpa sitting down the line, it was really cool to be able to see them," said Jackson, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It's quite an experience.
The moment was awfully special for the elder Holliday as well.
"It's exciting. I'm really happy for him," said the former slugger. "It's what he's always wanted to do, and it's kind of surreal that he gets to come out here and play on this field. He's been on this field."
But it was all thanks to Millar that the Hollidays got a chance to see one of their own finally make his Major League debut.
Jackson started at second base in on Wednesday night and went 0-for-4 in his MLB debut, but the Orioles picked him up and pulled off a wild comeback win, defeating the Red Sox by a final score of 7-5.