The phone rang at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, and the Bateman family's world turned upside down. Keith Bateman, Concordia Cobbers associate athletic director, answered to hear his son Brett deliver three words that would set off a frantic dash across the Midwest: "I'm going up."

Brett Bateman, a 24-year-old outfielder, had been called up to the Toronto Blue Jays, making his Major League Baseball debut just days after being traded from the Chicago Cubs organization. The call set off a chain reaction that had Keith and his wife Laura driving from the Fargo-Moorhead area to the Twin Cities late Thursday night, catching a flight out of Minneapolis on Friday morning, and landing in Philadelphia in time for the first pitch at Citizens Bank Park.

"It's been a wild 36 hours," Keith told The Forum on Saturday afternoon, the exhaustion and exhilaration still fresh in his voice.

The Batemans—along with Brett's sister Kaylee—joined a group of nearly 10 friends and family in Toronto's family section. They watched as Brett trotted out to center field, wearing number 21, and stepped into the batter's box in the top of the third inning. The moment was surreal. Brett, known for his patient approach at the plate, did something he almost never does: he swung at the first pitch.

"I wish I had a lot better words," Keith said. "The whole thing was kind of wild because when he walks out of the dugout to the on-deck circle wearing 21 with his name across the back, it's like, 'Holy cow. This is pretty cool.' He very rarely swings at the first pitch. First pitch, Major League, first swing, he hit it off the wall."

That double—a scorching line drive off the left-field wall—gave Brett his first Major League hit. The Blue Jays tweeted the milestone, and the baseball from that hit was sent to his parents. The crowd, including a Phillies fan who later playfully booed Brett, offered congratulations. "Even a Phillies fan came over and congratulated us," Keith recalled. "That guy did 'boo' Brett his second at-bat, but he also looked at me and said, 'Hey, I gotta man. It's Philly.' I would have been insulted if he didn't."

Brett finished 1-for-2 with two walks and scored a run in Toronto's 5-4 victory. The next day, he batted second in the lineup, again starting in center field. Keith, who was hired by Concordia this past May, previously spent years as the head baseball coach at Augsburg University, where Brett's college career began at the University of Minnesota.

"That's been the thing for me, just knowing how hard this game is and how much it can beat you up every day," Keith said. "I'm in awe of how he goes about it."

The journey to this moment was anything but linear. Brett started the season with the Iowa Cubs, Chicago's Triple-A affiliate. Last Sunday, the Blue Jays acquired him in a trade that sent veteran pitcher Kevin Gausman to the Cubs. Brett was on a bus between Des Moines and Indianapolis when he learned of the deal. He then played two games for the Buffalo Bisons, Toronto's Triple-A team, before the call-up.

Keith and Laura, who still own a home in the Twin Cities area, managed only a one-hour nap on an air mattress before heading to the airport. The family has yet to sell that house, so the brief rest was a luxury. After the three-game series in Philadelphia, they plan to fly back to Des Moines on Sunday night and drive Brett's car back to Fargo-Moorhead.

Before Friday's game, a weather delay allowed the family a quick moment on the field. Keith hugged his son near the dugout. "He goes, 'I'm here dad,'" Keith said. "It was pretty emotional. The more you reflect and the more you talk about it, the more it starts to hit you."

Brett's debut in Philadelphia carried a special connection to Concordia: former Cobbers standout Chris Coste played for the Phillies from 2006 to 2009, winning a World Series in 2008. "I probably should have worn something Concordia on (Friday)," Keith said with a laugh.

For a family that has spent years navigating the grind of minor league baseball, this moment was a payoff beyond measure. Keith, who has seen countless players come through his programs, watched his own son step onto the biggest stage—and deliver on his first swing.