Gameday Magazine May

Lovegrove has since stayed in contact with many of the players on the team, including the handful that, like Loveg- rove, are working their way up the minor league ranks. In spring training, he and fellow pitch- ers Dylan Unsworth (Mobile – Angels Double-A) and Tayler Scott (Round Rock – Rangers Triple-A) will often meet for lunch, and just last season, Lovegrove and his countrymen got to celebrate a major milestone together. South African shortstop Gift Ngoepe made his debut in the big leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming the first player from the entire continent to appear in a major league game. “There was just this collective feeling of jubilation that we had done it, that we had broken though,” said Loveg- rove, “and now there’s a few of us coming up, Dillon with Angels, Taylor with the Rangers, so it’s starting to very slowly trickle down, and the ath- letes in South Africa are beginning to play baseball.” Talking with Lovegrove, the excite- ment for playing internationally, and representing his country is palpable. That feeling was taken up a level when the 2020 roster was released this spring, and he saw his name, along with many familiar faces. “There’s a sense of national pride, that I think, supersedes any sort of team pride,” he said. “And don’t get me wrong, the Indians have been so good to me for seven years, but I wasn’t born an Indians fan, I was born South African, so there’s that different feel- ing, standing on the line and hearing the South African national anthem, and having the guys next to you singing it. It feels like it carries a lot of weight.” While the schedule is still being fleshed out, the road begins in the not- so-distant future. The team will begin training in October, then comes the Africa qualifiers, and following that, a unification qualifying stage against European nations.

It’s unclear yet whether the qualifica- tion games will take place in South Af- rica, but regardless, Lovegrove hopes to return to his native county, for the first time since 2013. “I don’t know if I’d call it home be- cause of the small amount of time I’ve spent there,” Lovegrove said, “but it feels like a place that I was meant to be. I love the people there, the culture, the food, the drinks. The life that exists in South Africa is incredible.” While it’s a long road ahead for Lovegrove and team South Africa, the Hillcats righty looks forward to the possibility, not just for him, but for his father too. “I hope he gets the opportunity to come with me, because I don’t think there’s anything he would enjoy more,” said Lovegrove, who adds that Toyko has always been a city that he has longed to visit. While it’s easy to fantasize over the big stage and bright lights, Lovegrove remains focused on the present. “I don’t think I’m going to start think- ing about it until it becomes more of a possibility, because I think it might be overwhelming to try to do so. After seven years of pro ball I’ve learned what is, and what isn’t important to think about, and I think the most important thing is what’s right in front of you.”

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