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The Detroit Tigers squared off with the Texas Rangers in Detroit on Mother's Day, and it was a special game for Jace and Josh Jung. Jace got the started at third base for the Tigers, and Josh got the start at third for the Rangers. Their parents are almost always tasked with picking one of their games to go to, but on Mother's Day of all days, the family was able to get together in the Motor City.
“When we're all together in one place, that's just the best day ever,” Mary Jung said during an interview with FanDuel Sports Detroit.
When the schedule first came out, the Jung family had it marked on their calendar. However, they didn't know if Josh and Jace would both be playing.
“We kind of circled it, and if it happens, it happens,” Mary said. “You know, it's baseball. Everybody's gotta be healthy. Everybody's gotta play good. And so, the closer we got, we'll make a hotel reservation, we'll make a flight plan. But it wasn't until I got here that it kinda started to sink in and got real. It is amazing.”
It's not often that both parents get to see the boys play at the same time. There been a lot of separation because of their differing schedules, but it all worked out perfectly on Mother's Day.
“I usually went with mom, Josh usually went with dad, and we'd split and went to different places,” Jace Jung said, according to an article from MLB.com. “There was a week when we were growing up where he was in Georgia, I was in Florida, so two different cars going.”
While it sounds like a lot, the fact that they could be in the car was a win for the Jung parents. Keeping up with a Major League Baseball schedule certainly presents some more challenges.
“My parents do not like to fly,” Jace said. “They'd much rather drive places. They don't want to wait in an airport, because if you get delayed, they're like, ‘I could've been there by now.' And I'm like, ‘No you couldn't, but I like where your head's at.'”
Before the game, the entire Jung family went out onto the field, and the Jung brothers presented a pink bat and split Tigers-Rangers jerseys. Mary then delivered the game ball to starting pitcher Reece Olson.
“She went out and got her own jersey,” Josh Jung said. “If she’d just waited two days. … But me and my brother were keeping it quiet. She just got it this week. Unbelievable.”
The whole pregame experience was awesome for the Jung family. After it concluded, it was time to play ball.
“Oh man, that was special,” Jace added. “It was pretty cool just to have your mom out there. Honestly, I was just like, ‘Ooh, this is a lot, but I’m ready to play now.’”
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The Rangers ended up beating the Tigers 6-1 on Sunday, and while it was great for the Jung parents to see their boys go up against eachother, it's not always a relaxing experience.
“They always get nervous for us,” Jace said. “I think that just shows you how much they care, because they’re always trying to be in the at-bat for us. It’s harder sitting in the stands than being in the box. They always have something to say after the game.”
There was one play that involved both Jace and Josh Jung as Josh came sliding into third base in the second inning. Jace tried to get him, but Josh beat the throw.
“I would’ve loved to tag him out,” Jace shared. “I actually was trying too hard to catch [the throw] deep. I should’ve gone up a step to tag his back, but I really wanted to catch it deep and drop it on him. That’s alright. Looking back, it was a bang-bang play.”
When the play wrapped up and Josh was safe, Jace wasn't happy.
“Cuss words,” Jace said when he was asked about what was going through his mind. “But at the end of the day, it’s your brother. I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s like, I need to do that. I’m trying to get back at him.”
All in all, this was an incredibly special day for the entire Jung family.
“To be able to play against each other, I know my parents were super proud,” Josh Jung said. “All the emotions come up, all the sacrifices they’ve made for us. There’s no way to say thank you, but hopefully they were super proud watching us run out at the same position.”
