Forgive Gabe Mosser if he appears to always be wearing a smile. He’s having the time of his life.
The Parkland graduate signed this offseason with his favorite team growing up, won his СŷƵ IronPigs home debut on Thursday, four days after his 29th birthday, and is less than three months away from becoming a first-time father.
Despite giving up a two-run home run two batters into Thursday’s game, Mosser settled in with family and friends watching from the stands at Coca-Cola Park.
“At the end of the day,” he said, “it’s still baseball. You just go out there and compete. Once that first pitch is done, the nerves settle. You just have fun with it and enjoy the moment.”
Mosser improved to 2-1 after allowing just those two runs on three hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings to get the IronPigs closer to an International League playoff berth.
The right-hander, a 2018 27th-round pick of the Padres, started his first season in the Phillies organization with a 2-4 record, a 5.01 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in eight starts for Double-A Reading. He was promoted to Triple-A СŷƵ on May 27.
“Right now, I feel like I’m walking too many guys but that’s an easy fix for me,” Mosser said. “I usually don’t walk a lot. It’s just me staying in the zone. I think I’m trying to create too much swing and miss at this point instead of, ‘Here it is. Hit it.’
“It could be 1-2, then think I throw two really good pitches, and they don’t swing at it. At the higher levels, they are not going to swing at it unless you make a really good pitch. Now it’s 3-2, and you’ve got to make a pitch, and you don’t.”
Mosser, who averages 2.8 walks per nine innings in his minor league career, has walked 10 in 14 1/3 innings spanning his three starts with the IronPigs. He averages 8.5 strikeouts per nine.
He didn’t strike out after a pickup basketball game between Shippensburg University’s baseball team and men’s basketball team. He struck up a conversation with a member of the women’s basketball team.
Gabe and Haley Mosser are into their third year of marriage and expecting their first child on Sept. 5, a boy who will be named Ford William.
“[Haley] likes Western names,” Mosser said. “And William is my dad’s dad’s name and her mom’s dad’s name.”
Mosser said he’s learned a lot about fatherhood from his dad, Craig, a well-respected area baseball umpire who has been there for his son throughout his journey from Parkland, Shippensburg and the many minor league stops on his way to this season with his favorite team growing up.
The two spent Saturday putting together a work bench at Mosser’s Allentown home before the 29-year-old reported to Coca-Cola Park.
“I’m super blessed to have a dad like that,” Mosser said. “He’s supported me through my entire career. He’s had my back through everything, throughout the long journey to get here. I’ve always had a dream to come here. To watch his reaction the other night, how excited he was for me, it was awesome.
“We have a funny relationship. I always joke with him. But every time I start, he always sends nice texts, tells me to ‘do your thing and I love you.’
“He definitely paved the way for me. I hope I could be half the dad he is.”
Mosser also is blessed with a wife who is an organized planner, so if the couple’s son were born tomorrow, they’d be ready.
The Archbishop Wood graduate who grew up in Chalfont, Bucks County, has done all she can to keep the nest in order while Mosser chases his major league dream.
It has not been easy with Mosser spending much of pro baseball career hundreds of miles from the СŷƵ.
“Every day is a gift,” he said. “God has a plan for everything. I continue to trust him and live day by day, accept all the positives. And the negatives, they are blessings I can learn from, too.
“With Haley here and me out way out west, I didn’t see her as much as I wanted to. Now I see her every day. [Pro baseball life] is a blessing and a curse.”
Mosser has managed to smile his way through it all.
Roster moves
Infielder Nick Dunn was acquired by the Phillies from the Mariners for cash. The 28-year-old Sunbury native and Shikellamy graduate was sent to Double-A Reading.
RHPs Kyle Tyler (5-3, 4.31 ERA, 1.40 WHIP in 12 starts with the IronPigs) and Carlos Hernandez (1-0, 5.26 ERA in 25 games with the Phillies) were designated for assignment earlier this week.
How they scored
Top 1: Nate Eaton and Johstynxon Garcia singled and Blaze Jordan walked to load the bases. Eaton scored on Nathan Hickey’s double-play grounder. Woosox 1-0.
Top 4: Tyler McDonough singled, stole second, took third on catcher Garrett Stubbs’ throwing error and scored on Phillip Sikes’ grounder. Blake Sabol, who walked, took second on Sikes’ grounder and scored on Corey Rosier’s double down the left-field line. Woosox 3-0.
Bottom 8: Rafael Lantigua doubled with one out and took third on a wild pitch. Rodolfo Castro and Justin Crawford walked with two outs to load the bases. Lantigua scored on a wild pitch. Castros and Crawford scored on Buddy Kennedy’s double. Tied at 3.
Top 10: Garcia walked with one out. Jordan doubled to score ghost runner Rosier. Garcia continued home when the throw from the outfield was off line. Woosox 5-3.
Up next
RHP Andrew Painter (2-2, 5.19) vs. Worcester TBD in a 1:35 p.m. start on Father’s Day in the series finale at Coca-Cola Park. It will be Painter’s first start on four days rest in his career. He allowed six runs on eight hits in five innings of Tuesday’s loss to Worcester.
СŷƵ hosts the Rochester Red Wings for six games starting at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Morning Call senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
