WASHINGTON — Zach Thornton’s thrills Wednesday included sharing the night with his father, who is recovering from spinal surgery.
Paul Thornton has been confined to a wheelchair, his legs paralyzed, after undergoing surgery April 2 that removed part of a tumor from his spine. He will undergo radiation this summer.
But the elder Thornton managed to attend his son’s major league debut, traveling from Chicago (where he’s been undergoing rehab) to watch Zach Thornton pitch into the fifth inning of the Mets’ 8-4 loss to the Nationals.
“[Zach] made one mistake to a major league hitter,” Paul Thornton said, referring to the three-run homer CJ Abrams hit for the Nationals in the first inning. “Those batters aren’t going to miss mistakes and he made one mistake that went a long way, and other than that he did great.”
Zach Thornton, who was selected from Triple-A Syracuse to fill a rotation need with Clay Holmes sidelined by a fractured right fibula, allowed four earned runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4 ¹/₃ innings. He retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced.
“I thought he settled in really well,” Paul Thornton said. “I know him. He probably wanted to go through five or six innings, so he will be disappointed about that, but Zach never loses. He just runs out of time.”
Paul Thornton’s journey to Nationals Park was his first time flying since he was confined to a wheelchair.
“It was an experience for my wife and I and learning how to travel with a wheelchair and maneuver a stadium with a wheelchair and so we’re learning all these things on the fly,” he said. “That’s OK. That is part of life.”
Zach Thornton was asked what it meant seeing his dad at the game.
“Super special just seeing him sitting there in his little wheelchair,” Zach Thornton said.
Paul Thornton visited with his son after the game, and the message was simple.
“I told him that I loved him,” Paul Thornton said.
He added that he is hopeful he will begin walking again before summer officially begins.
“Right now, my whole focus and goal is to be able to walk,” he said. “I am probably two, three weeks away from walking.”