Life comes at you fast.
Just ask Cambridge left-handed pitcher Mark Rogers. In the last five weeks his baseball career has taken off in ways he never expected.
It all began in September as he sat in the bullpen at Rogers Centre during the prestigious Canadian Futures Showcase, a tournament that saw the best 160 players from across the country compete in front of Major League Baseball scouts and college recruiters.
Scheduled to throw the sixth and seventh innings in one of his team's games, he noticed something was off when he looked around.
"It's was the third inning and the guy who was supposed to pitch the fourth and fifth wasn't there," Rogers said.
"Then we got a call in the bullpen that I was going to pitch the fourth."
He'd go on to throw the final four innings and in the process catch the eye of Canadian Junior National Team coach Greg Hamilton. Although he didn't know it at the time.
After the showcase, the Jacob Hespeler Secondary School student departed on a trip to Florida where he competed with the Canadian Premier Baseball League All-Star team in another tournament.
During some down time in the Sunshine State, he was sitting around with his parents and grandmother playing cards when he noticed his phone light up.
"Greg Hamilton" it read, asking if he had a few minutes to discuss the junior national team.
"I looked at my dad with a blank stare," Rogers said.
"We hopped on the phone for three minutes and that was it. To be honest, I didn't even think about having the chance to play for Canada prior to that text. It didn't cross my mind. It ended up not being easy to sleep that night."
Not long after he was on the road again, this time to the Dominican Republic to don the red and white.
The trip saw Canada play professional teams affiliated with several MLB teams, including the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays.
Rogers' first appearance on the mound didn't start well, not because of his performance, but because of yet another unforeseen circumstance.
With a doubleheader scheduled for Oct. 16 against the Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate and the Astros, he was slated to start the second game.
Typically when the first game ends, the team eats at the complex they're playing at before hitting the road to their next game.
But lunch was late.
"We showed up 20 minutes before the start of the second game," Rogers said.
"It was 40 degrees. I had to go through my whole warm up and chug a bunch of water."
Things not going to plan didn't rattle him before and it didn't this time either, as he would go on to throw five scoreless innings on 58 pitches and give up just three hits.
"Looking back on it now, going into a game feeling rushed isn't ideal," Rogers said.
"But it didn't give me time to be nervous or stressed."
He made one more appearance against the Pirates later in the week before arriving home with the team on Sunday night.
When reflecting, Rogers has nothing but appreciation for what he was able to experience.
"It's surreal," he said.
"It’s hard to explain, I don’t know if there's a whole lot of words I can say. I’m grateful for all the opportunities. Looking back a month and a half I didn't think any of this was in my future."
As for what's next, the Grade 12 student is going to do what he's done to get to this point; work hard, let it all play out and most importantly, enjoy the ride.
"It's time to hop back on the school work," he said.
"I’m going to take it day by day and make myself the best I player can. Wherever I end up, is where I end up."
