Murrysville's Rehak, Latrobe's Visconti relish call-up to major leagues
Jeremie Rehak and Jansen Visconti both had a dream to one day become Major League Baseball umpires.
What started out as work on the diamond in local leagues all throughout Westmoreland County and the region has blossomed into opportunities at baseball's highest level.
Rehak, a Murrysville native, and Visconti, a Latrobe product, recently made their Major League debuts, and both said the reality was even better than they could've expected.
“This was something I worked for my entire career,” said Rehak, who made his debut April 9-11 in a series between the Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals. “There were some little nerves, but a lot of excitement.”
Both Rehak and Visconti, who bolstered their talents as students at the Wendelstedt School of Umpires and now teach at the facility, umpired spring training games and received their MLB call-up numbers in late March.
They started the season in triple-A but soon got the calls they were hoping for.
“It's an opportunity I prepared eight or nine years for, and to have it come true, I felt extremely blessed,” said Visconti, who debuted April 17 in a doubleheader in Toronto between the Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals.
Rehak worked second base in his MLB debut in front of several family members who had come to Kansas City for the occasion.
“I had all those emotions going prior to the game, but when I stepped on the field, I was ready to go,” he said. “I knew I had done this before. It's my job. Any nerves kind of just went away.
“I told myself it was the same game, just a bigger stadium with brighter lights. The other guys on the crew helped me get as comfortable as possible. I just told myself to have fun and enjoy the moment.”
Two days later, Rehak was behind the plate.
Visconti said he had excitement mixed with a little nervousness the day of his debut. He had worked triple-A games in Buffalo leading up to his call-up, and he got the call the night before to report to Toronto.
“That 24 hours (from the call to the end of the doubleheader) was such a whirlwind,” Visconti said. “I tried to take some time on the field and soak in the experience of being in the big leagues for the first time. I had to realize it's the same game but just a bigger venue and a couple more cameras. I was able to settle in after the first couple of innings.”
Rehak continued to work games at the big-league level, and it included the series at PNC Park between the Pirates and Colorado Rockies from April 16-18. He was the home plate umpire for Game 2 of the series, a 2-0 Rockies win in the midst of snow showers and chilly evening temperatures.
“Seeing the Pittsburgh skyline from where I was behind home plate, that was a pretty cool experience,” he said. “It's the city where I started umpiring and where I grew up. That was a very memorable series for me.”
Visconti, after his doubleheader debut, was sent back to triple-A the next morning and worked home plate for a game between the Toledo Mud Hens and Durham Bulls. But he was back in the big leagues for a weekend series (April 20-22) in Texas between the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.
He made his MLB home-plate debut April 22. That same weekend, Rehak was in Atlanta for the series between the Braves and Mets.
Rehak and Visconti work under two-way contracts and are ready at a moment's notice to go to the major leagues or back down to triple-A. Their first tastes of the major leagues weren't permanent. Both have split time between the majors and triple-A since April 22.
“I will work wherever they need me,” Rehak said. “I have to always be ready. My phone has to be with me and charged at all times. I just want to take it one game at a time and hope to have a more permanent job at the Major League level in the future. It's about patience and just doing the job they ask of me every night.”
Visconti echoed Rehak's commitment to the game and to his craft.
“It's kind of organized chaos, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world,” Visconti said. “We've all sacrificed so much all these years and missed so much at home, but now is the time to shine and be ready for any opportunity when it comes.”
Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.
