Wow! I Found Two Connections Tyler Has to the World Series

Did you watch game one of the World Series last night, and spot Tylerite, AJ Minter pitching for the Atlanta Braves?

He had a great outing with less than 50 pitches, and helped secure the win for the Atlanta Braves. My husband and I were casually watching the game, when said to me, ‘this guy is from Tyler.’ I was surprised. I don’t closely follow baseball, but I usually have an idea when one of our own from East Texas has made it to the big leagues.

I started digging, and learned that Minter graduated from The Brook Hill School in Tyler in 2012, before pursuing baseball as a Texas ATM Aggie. When asked about his experience in Game 1 of the World Series, he told mlb.com:

“You’re just running on adrenaline,” said reliever A.J. Minter, who threw 2 2/3 innings and a career-high 43 pitches after Morton was removed from the game. “This is the postseason and what you live for. You think you are going to be sore for throwing so much, but your arm feels fresh every day.”

I became curious, so I googled Minter. I quickly found an interview after the Braves defeated the Dodgers to move on to the World Series on youtube. As I continued to watch the video, I saw a familiar anchor, Emily Gagnon. When Minter was senior in high school at Brook Hill, Gagnon, was television reporter in Tyler at CBS 19. Now she's a sports anchor for CBS 46 in Atlanta the same city, Minter now calls home with the Braves.

She interviewed an emotional Braves fans with some hilarious onlookers popping in and out of her shot. I doubt that Minter or Gagnon made the Tyler connection, but I had a chuckle over it. It’s great to see two talented people who have lived and worked in East Texas seeing such great success in their professions.

I’m looking forward to Game 2 tonight! Let me know who you’re rooting for, Braves or Astros?

Are you trying to remember if you watched Emily in Tyler? Here’s a promotional clip of one of her interviews from her time at CBS.