As a closer in baseball, one has to handle high-pressure situations well. But for University of San Francisco pitcher Joey Carney, nothing could prepare him for the save he attempted to make last June.
Carney's story is one made for Hollywood, only it doesn't have a Hollywood ending. It has one based in reality.
In the spring of 2014, Carney's mother Paula was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease. Two years later, her condition was such that her doctors were in search of a live liver donor.
"The fact of the matter is myself and other family members tried to donate, and we could not," said Dale Carney, Joey's father.
So Joey ended up urging his mom and dad to allow him to go get tested.
"Once I got tested, I found out that I was a viable match, and so on June 2, I went in and went forward with the surgery," Joey said.
For the first few days, it was a success, and then complications arose. Paula Carney died less than four weeks after the surgery.
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"It killed me inside, and to this day it still eats at me," Joey said. "I wish she could be here right now. I wish she could be in the stands watching me play.
"I've got about a 6-inch scar running down my belly button right here," he added. "I look to it every day. It's just a reminder of what I did for my mom. And even though things didn't work out, it's just basically a sign of love."
Even though she may not be watching from the stands, Joey Carney believes his mother is watching.
"The only positive you can find from it is that you have a guardian angel, and you have someone looking over you every single day, and it kind of gives you that comfort you need," he said.
Dale Carney believes there are people who in a similar situation might just give up. But he said Joey asked himself what his mom would do.
"Every time I get on that mound, after I throw my last warm-up pitch, I kiss the cross I wear that she got me, and I look up to the sky, and it's just like, 'I know you're here with me, and we're going to get through this together.'"
Dale Carney sees it too: "Every single time he takes the mound, it's for Mom. And Mom's watching, Mom's there."
