Seaford boasts Major Leaguer

Most Long Island baseball fans root for the Mets or the Yankees, but residents of Seaford suddenly have a reason to cheer for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Sean Nolin, a 2008 graduate of Seaford High School, earned a call-up to the major league team on Sept. 1. His family, friends and former coaches couldn’t be more thrilled, and many went to Yankee Stadium to see him last weekend, when the Blue Jays were in town.

“That’s something kids dream of,” Pete Paguaga said of playing in Yankee Stadium. Paguaga has been friends with Nolin since they were 7 and attended Seaford Harbor Elementary School. “It’s absolutely incredible to see how his dream is coming true.”

Nolin, a left-handed pitcher, made his major league debut on May 24, 2013, earning a spot start against the Baltimore Orioles at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The game didn’t go well, as he gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings, and was sent back to the minors.

This season, he pitched for three minor league teams but spent the most time with Buffalo, the Triple-A affiliate of the Blue Jays. In 17 starts, he had a 4-6 record and a 3.50 ERA, and struck out 74 batters in 87 innings. That earned him a spot on the big league team when the rosters expanded at the beginning of September. Through Sunday, he had yet to appear in a game.

Edward Nolin, Sean’s father, says baseball has always been his son’s life. At 4 years old, he would watch his older brother, Ryan, play tee ball, and couldn’t wait to get on the diamond himself. Sean joined Levittown North Baseball and began what no one knew at the time would be an ascent to the major leagues.

His Seaford days

Sean was a catcher, his father said, and he showed up at his first middle school practice with brand new gear his parents had bought him. His coach told him he was going to be a pitcher, and his parents should probably find the receipt and return the equipment. “He never caught again,” Edward Nolin said.

That coach was Jamie Adams, who worked with Sean for the next six years. Adams coached the middle school team, and was also in charge of all pitchers in the baseball program. “I was the first coach to see Sean in the Seaford District,” Adams recalled. “You could tell from day one that he could throw. The way the ball came out of his hand, it was easy.”