STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Brady Short received a midafternoon call last Wednesday that his brother Zack would be making his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers the following afternoon. So Short asked his Stony Brook baseball coaches whether they would approve of him missing a practice to attend the momentous occasion.

"I definitely wanted to go, but I also didn't want to miss practice, because I wanted to be with the team and get ready for the weekend against NJIT. But Coach Senk and Coach Martin were definitely OK with it," said Short, a freshman infielder from upstate Hurley, north of Poughkeepsie. "They said it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing and that I should absolutely go and enjoy it and be there for my family and brother."

Roommate Idris Carter, a fellow Stony Brook baseball freshman, drove Short to LaGuardia Airport at 3 a.m. on Thursday. There, Short connected with his parents, Wayne and Tracie, for a 6 a.m. flight to Detroit.

Wayne similarly had received permission from Coca-Cola, where he works, to attend.

Short's other brother Avery, a junior right-hander at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina, was unable to join the family because his team had a game that day against Mount Olive.

Zack debuted for the Tigers in the first game of a doubleheader against the Pirates at Comerica Park as the starter at third base. He drew two walks in three plate appearances. He recorded his first major league hit two days later against Royals left-hander Mike Minor, and subsequently was returned to the Tigers' alternate training site on Sunday after those two appearances.

Short and his parents were interviewed in-game during Thursday's Tigers broadcast.

"It was just surreal," Short said. "We come from a small town. It was great to see him out there. With all the hard work he's put in, it showed that it can pay off."

Short and Zack, a 17th-round pick by the Cubs in 2016 out of Sacred Heart, are seven years apart in age.
 
Short coincidentally made his collegiate debut with the Seawolves against Sacred Heart on Feb. 26 as a pinch-hitter for Stanton Leuthner in the seventh inning of a lopsided win.

So far this season, Short is 2-for-9 with a walk in five games (two starts). He recorded his first two hits and reached base three times during a start at shortstop at UAlbany on March 28.

Short flew back to New York on Friday morning and ended up catching the second half of Friday's Stony Brook baseball practice in preparation for the weekend series against NJIT.

"My brother has been such a big role model for me," Short said. "Anything baseball-wise, I can always go to him. I really learned everything from him — on the field, and just his hard work off the field. We've always hit together in the offseason. I can always text him, 'What's going on? … I'm struggling here.' He's been a huge role model for me and my other older brother, because Zack is the oldest.

"We really get everything from him and try to follow in his footsteps as best we can."