5 Fun Facts about Sara Stock

• I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO
• I was a competitive dancer through high school, then coached my high school’s dance team while I was in college.
• I have 2 Siamese cats named Jon and Dany.
• My degree is in Education, but I work remotely as an accounting assistant for my father-in-law’s company.
• I am obsessed with true crime podcasts.

Q:How did you and Robert meet?

Robert and I met in March of 2014. I was visiting my best friend at the University of Miami for spring break. We were huge Cardinals fans, and planned a trip to Jupiter to see the Cardinals at spring training. My friend matched on Tinder with a Cardinals minor league player and they had been talking for a few weeks. He asked if she wanted to meet up while she was in town, so she told him he had to bring a friend for me. He brought his roommate, which was Robert, and we hit it off right away!

Q: Were you a baseball fan before you met Robert?

Yes! I was raised to be a huge Cardinals fan. St. Louis is a total baseball city. I already knew a ton about baseball before I met Robert, and now I know more than I ever thought I would about the business behind the game and all the intricacies of baseball life. I love watching his games (and I am still secretly a Cardinals fan).

Q: Debut day is one of the biggest days in a player’s career. I’d love to hear about the day from your perspective.

Robert’s debut was easily the best day of our lives! He found out the day before in the afternoon that he was getting called up. He was in Sacramento on a road trip, and I was back in our in-season apartment in El Paso. He called me, and I immediately knew something was up because he never calls me while he is at the field. I cried, called my family to tell them, then scrambled to pack and book a flight to San Francisco. I slept maybe an hour that night, flew to San Fran the next morning, and made it just in time for the 1pm game. Robert’s parents and siblings were able to be there too, and we had so much fun at the game. Our seats were amazing and AT&T (now Oracle) Park is so beautiful. Seeing him on the field for the first time in his Major League uniform was such a surreal moment. Every little thing was so cool about the day. We knew that he would probably pitch in that game because the team had used all of their relievers the day before, so when the game went into extras, I was terrified. He ended up making his debut in the 10th inning, which meant that if he gave up a run, the game would be over and his debut would result in his first Loss. Terrifying. He gave up a double to the first batter, and oddly that made me calm down a little bit. He was the closer in AAA and had done very well under pressure. Sure enough, he got the next 3 batters out (with 2 strikeouts). It was incredible! After the game, the team flew straight to Dallas, so I only got to see him briefly before he had to leave. I had to stay the night in San Francisco by myself because there were no evening flights to Dallas. I met him in Dallas the next morning and we finally had that “oh my gosh, what just happened” moment together! It was the craziest 48 hours of our lives and I wouldn’t change a single moment!

Q: What’s one of the best and one of the hardest things about being a baseball wife?

There are a lot of amazing things about being a baseball wife, from the travel to the unique life experiences, but my favorite part is getting to watch my husband fight for his career and continue to succeed. He is such a hard worker, and he has big goals for himself. It is so rewarding to watch him reach those goals and live out his dream. The hardest part about being a baseball wife is the uncertainty and lack of control associated with the lifestyle. I can’t plan for anything, and so much of our lives (like where we live for 8 months of the year) is out of our hands. It can be incredibly stressful, and I have had to learn to really just let go of any expectations I might have and “go with the flow.”

Q: Do you have a game day routine? If so, what is it?

Robert is a relief pitcher, so I never know when he will pitch. Therefore, we don’t really have any “game day rituals”.

Q:What’s your favorite baseball city (MLB or MiLB) and why?

My favorite baseball city is easily San Diego. My husband is from LA, so we love Southern California in general, but San Diego is so special. We loved the food, the people, and the vibes. San Diego has the best stadium I have ever been to. It’s new, beautiful, and has the best ballpark food EVER. I am really going to miss it now that we are with a new team!

Q: How are you and Robert keeping busy while the season is in limbo?

Robert and I are playing a lot of video games to keep busy. We play League of Legends together almost every day. We are also working out, cooking more food than we ever have, and watching TV series together. Our day-to-day life right now is very similar to our normal off-season routine, so it doesn’t feel too strange for us, but we are both really hoping baseball will be back this season.