Right from the start, PJ Maher has faced a bases-loaded, two-out deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning. But the Wayland High School senior has defied the odds and hit one out of the park as the baseball team manager.
It’s not how he envisioned his high school career to play out, but he and the team feel like he cranked a walk-off grand slam.
Maher was born three months early weighing a minuscule one pound, 13 ounces. In addition to being premature, he contracted necrotizing enterocolitis, a disease where bacteria cause intestinal tissue to die.
He battled — not unlike fouling off a half dozen pitches against a top closer — to leave Children’s Hospital in Boston after eight months.
He was able to play what would become his favorite sport from second to ninth grade, donning the uniform and taking his position (usually second base or pitcher ) on the diamond. But in January of his sophomore season, mere months before his second season playing for Wayland, he was placed on permanent IL (injured list) after undergoing stomach surgery that would end his playing days.
He knew he wanted to stay involved with the baseball program in some way. He reached out to head coach Chris Fay, whom Maher has known since he was eight years old.
“PJ wanted to stay involved and we came up with that position for him,” said Fay. “Since the 10th grade, he has been on the bench for us. His insight and knowledge are amazing. I’m sure he will take over my job [as head coach] at Wayland one day.”
The offer to have Maher on the bench was no sympathy decision. It wasn’t helping out a family friend either. Maher is a baseball savant; he knows all things Red Sox, is a baseball history aficionado, and most importantly to the Warriors, he excels in strategy.
He’s proven his worth by wearing a variety of hats (baseball, of course), like in sit-downs with Fay before games to talk strategy for that day’s opponent, umpiring scrimmages, being the batting-practice pitcher, and assisting at different skill stations during practice. But it may be an attribute that the coaches can’t provide that they find most valuable.
“PJ brings a different perspective than the coaches,” Fay explained. “He’s in classes with [kids on the team] so he can talk to them as an 18-year-old. He’s always talking to them during the game, asking how they feel, and being the first off the bench after a big play. The players certainly respect him and see him as a coach even though he’s a peer to them at school.”
All of Maher’s hard work and commitment have paid off with a promotion as the first base coach during the season. “I’ve always liked first- and third-base coaching,” he said. “It’s a big responsibility for me. I’m excited.”
The transition to team manager has been a thrill for his grandparents, Jimmy and Amy Golov, with whom he has lived since he was 6. Jimmy Golov is especially elated since he’s taught his grandson everything he knows about the sport, which is quite a bit for a former college player and a 56-year Red Sox season ticket holder. He tookMaher, whom he coached as a child, to his 12th Opening Day game on April 3.
“We’re incredibly proud of his perseverance,” Amy Golov said. “He didn’t have the easiest start to his life. He is a survivor. And now it’s fun to watch him in action.”
“He never took the attitude that he didn’t care anymore when he couldn’t play,” Jimmy Golov said. “He still stayed with it.”
Maher hopes this isn’t the end for him in baseball. “I certainly want to do something similar to this in college, like a student coach or team manager,” he said. “I like the strategy part of the game. My dream is to be in the front office of a [major league] team.”
Fay acknowledged that it’s been a good run with Maher and the varsity team, and he knows he will be missed.
“Every year we have a baseball banquet… the players love all our coaches, but when PJ is thanked, the roars are second to none,” Fay said. “The players really appreciate him. He’ll be impossible to replace next season.”
