'It's OK not to be OK': Former Sox pitcher talks mental health ahead of WooSox game

WORCESTER — John Trautwein delivered the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the WooSox game Thursday night.

But it was the message Trautwein delivered — before he tossed the baseball on Mental Wellness Night — that was more important.

After the loss of his oldest son, Will, to suicide in 2010, the former Red Sox pitcher and his wife founded the ‘Will To Live Foundation’ that is dedicated to spreading the awareness and education of teen suicide.

“If I can get these kids to create this culture where it is OK to not be OK, then I can get these kids to talk about it and that’s what this night is about,” Trautwein said to the crowd at Polar Park. “Let's talk about it guys, because life, like baseball, can be very hard and sometimes you need your friends to get you through it.”

Before any pitch was tossed at Polar Park Thursday, Trautwein talked with members of the Worcester Red Sox office about his foundation’s goal of increasing education around mental health. He then chatted with WooSox players and coaches inside their home clubhouse prior to the team’s 7-1 loss to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

With the topic of mental health coming up recently with Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran and Portland Sea Dogs third baseman Blaze Jordan, WooSox manager Chad Tracy took Trautwein’s message to heart.

“That is a topic I feel like everybody in the room, whether it’s personally or somebody you know, you probably have a connection with someone who has gone through tough times or mental health issues,” Tracy said. “It’s there. You can’t ignore it. It’s there. ... It was a great, great talk.”

Following Trautwein’s pregame speech to the WooSox players and then fans at Polar Park, the former Pawtucket Red Sox pitcher tossed the ceremonial first pitch to WooSox hitting coach Rich Gedman.

The two were teammates with the Boston Red Sox during the 1988 season.

To this day, Trautwein remembers his time with Gedman in the big leagues.

“I was a rookie and he was one of the best catchers in all of baseball,” Trautwein said. “He just, from Day 1, not only gave me the time of day but motivated me and inspired me and took me under his wing.”

Now, Trautwein is aiming to do the same when it comes to mental health awareness and suicide prevention with teens.

“In today’s world, life is really hard and everyone we know has a story. We’re all struggling in one way, shape or form and depression and mental illness (are) very, very evident and it’s also very treatable, and it’s very OK,” Trautwein said. “We want to create that culture where it’s OK to not be OK, and it’s OK to talk about it and if you do that this world becomes a better place.”

—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Former Sox pitcher John Trautwein discusses mental health awareness