39-Year-Old Pitcher Who Received a $1 Lifetime MLB Contract as a Newborn Finally Attends His First Training Session

World Series MVP Cole Hamels was destined to be a baseball player. His fate was etched in the books of the baseball world ever since he was a baby. But before delving deeper into that, let’s recall the pitcher’s career history a bit. The phenom had made his MLB debut with the Philadelphia Phillies and left a trail of accolades in his wake for quite a few seasons. However, fate had some unexpected twists in store for him. In 2019, a shoulder injury derailed his plans. 

Although he later tried to make a comeback with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021, it was a road that led to an unfruitful end. But as they say, you can’t rewrite a destiny written in stars. Enter the San Diego Padres, who have recently signed Hamels for a minor-league contract. What’s special about this contract, you ask? Well, hold on to your baseball hats, folks – Hamels has technically had a contract with the Padres since 1983, the year he was born! It’s like destiny has come full circle for the sensational pitcher. But how did that come to be?

Cole Hamels was born to be a part of the field

There was once a time, in a small corner of the baseball world, a mother made a deal with the gods of the game for her son. No, she didn’t offer up her firstborn to a witch as in the fairytales. Instead, she did something that was both hilarious and heartwarming. 

His mother and the then-general manager of the Padres, Andy Strasberg, were good friends, and together they decided to sign baby Cole to a “lifetime contract” with the Padres. 

The contract, which was signed by commissioner Bowie Kuhn, was for a grand total of one dollar – a sum that was promptly paid to the infant. And so it was, that Cole Hamels probably became the only player in MLB history to be signed to a contract before he could even walk or talk. 

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Of course, the contract is null and void, but the spirit of the deal lives on as he is with the Padres now. And now Hamels has pitched his first side session in Padres’ jersey. His destiny, for sure, is intertwined with the game that he loves, as he makes one last stretch for his career in the ballpark. 

Cole Hamels’ mothers’ intention behind the ‘lifetime contract’ 

It all started with one dollar, a piece of paper, and a mother’s hopes and dreams for her kid. When asked about her intention behind having baby Cole sign a lifetime contract, she said, “We really thought this would be a motivator and when he became great at throwing, we thought well maybe this could be something that would get him into college and be a future for him but who would’ve thought dreams happen like this” 

Do these impossible odds call for a coincidence, or just a little bit of magic? Or maybe just Cole’s mother pushing him in the right direction?

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