CHICAGO -- Bailey Falter still remembers his first pitching lesson. He had a knack for the sport and played against the older kids growing up, so his dad, Darwin, scheduled an appointment with Steve Lefebvre, a local coach in Southern California. Darwin was an avid baseball fan who saw potential in his son and wanted to help nurture that gift. The lesson went horribly. It lasted somewhere between 30-45 minutes, and as Bailey described it, he “absolutely hated every minute of my time there.” By the time Bailey got into the ‘03 Chevy Tahoe to go home, he was emotional. He didn’t like the experience and didn’t want to go back. Darwin heard enough. He turned the car around, went back to Lefebvre and booked six more lessons. The two Falter men can laugh about it now, especially since Bailey has seen where that push to be great on the mound has led him. |
“He always saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” Falter said. “I didn’t really realize it until I was a junior in high school when I was like, 'I might be able to play this game as my first ever job.' So far, so good. It’s been going well and it’s all hats off to him.” Things have been going very well for Falter on the mound in 2025. His 3.36 ERA is the lowest of his five-year career, aided by an outstanding May, during which he posted a 0.76 ERA over six starts. When he has a good start, he’ll usually give credit to two people. The first is his catcher, who helped navigate the opposing lineup with him. The other is Darwin, whose two main pieces of advice have come up in many a postgame scrum: “Throw first-pitch strikes and don’t walk batters.” When Falter is successful, it’s usually because he nailed those two sticking points. Darwin was a football player growing up, but loved baseball. He had dreams of raising a ballplayer, so when he saw Bailey starting to grab objects with his right hand growing up, Darwin quickly taught him to instead use his left hand. When Bailey had a book report growing up, Darwin suggested it should be on Sandy Koufax, and the Dodger great became Bailey’s pitching hero. Bailey played plenty of sports growing up, but when he got to high school, Darwin said he should just focus on baseball. |
“He said, basically, ‘You get a job, or you’re going to play baseball,’” Falter recalled. “I was like, ‘All right, I guess I’m playing baseball.’ It beats working for a living. Safe to say he knew what he was doing.” When Bailey pitches well, Darwin is one of the first people he talks to after the outing. When he struggles, Darwin usually gives him 48-72 hours before chiming in about what transpired and reaffirming those guiding principles that Bailey builds his game around. Bailey is anticipating his starts to be more of a family affair moving forward. Darwin is also on the precipice of retirement, with Bailey saying his last day is coming this week after 24 years as a trucking executive for Mack and Volvo in Fontana, Calif. That probably means Darwin’s going to be in attendance a lot more often when Bailey toes the rubber. “He’s told me numerous times he wants to live that retirement life and catch as many games as he possibly can,” Falter said. In Bailey’s eyes, the two Falter men share two traits in particular: They’re loyal, and they’re cheap. They don’t like spending money on themselves. Darwin is still driving that ‘03 Tahoe that he drove Falter to his pitching lessons in. He also has another car: A ‘97 Chevy Suburban that he bought when Bailey was born. This offseason, Bailey is going to become the owner of the vehicle. A career and a car. Two gifts that Darwin had in mind for his son, even as a baby. “It’s safe to say I wouldn’t be here without that guy. That’s for sure,” Falter said. |
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Ralph Kiner is second in franchise history in both career slugging percentage (.567) and OPS (.971). Which player is first in those categories (min. five years with the Pirates)? A. Willie Stargell B. Kiki Cuyler C. Barry Bonds D. Brian Giles |
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Falter’s love of Sandy Koufax came from his dad. Darwin was the one who told him about the Hall of Fame lefty, and Bailey had a Koufax poster in his room and did countless book reports and school projects on the Dodger legend. This past April, he actually got the chance to talk to his pitching idol. Assistant pitching coach Brent Strom had the connection and was able to facilitate a half-hour conversation between the southpaws. They say don’t meet your heroes. Forget that. “It was pretty much everything I could have possibly imagined and more,” Falter said. |
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“I was a bullpen catcher and I had to come back up here [into the clubhouse] and get cups for the bullpen one day. They kept calling me ‘waterboy’ down in the bullpen when it was right next to the fans.” – Don Kelly on his favorite memory playing at Wrigley Field |
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D. Giles Giles slugged .591 with a 1.018 OPS with the Pirates from 1999-2003. Going by OPS+ (which weighs the player’s home ballpark and the league’s output), Giles still has a slight edge on Kiner (158 to 157). |
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