Player hits a homerun in honor of commentator’s late mom — it's the perfect tribute

Some wins are special, especially when they follow something difficult and heartbreaking. Jack Michaels was giving his commentary for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (@fmredhawks) in their baseball match against the Lake Country DockHounds in Wisconsin Brewing Company Park on May 16, per The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Only a few knew that Michaels had lost his mom, Marge, earlier that morning. Nevertheless, the man showed up to announce the game for the RedHawks. Outfielder Dillon Thomas was at the game and hit a home run, giving them a 1-0 lead minutes into the game. However, this lead was more special as it was tied to the commentator’s late mom in the most priceless way. 

Michaels has been a special part of the RedHawks team for decades, per Inforum. As the first commentator for the team in 1996, he’s seen quite the journey. “He’s the play-by-play person’s dream. He describes everything so well. He brings back the olden days of radio. I like his down-to-earth play calling and his stories that he has because he’s been around it a long time,” said RedHawks president Brad Thom. When he was initially hired, John Dittrich — the RedHawks' first general manager — asked him what his home run call would be. At the time, the man didn’t have one, but he knew it had to be special. 

He got his signature call, “Track it down Marge,” after he dreamed of his mother, Marge Clark, retrieving one of his home runs from the time he played baseball for North Dakota State. “I had this dream one night, and it was my mother in 1988, tracking down my home run ball against Oklahoma while playing for the Bison,” the commentator recalled. “I just sat up in the middle of the night and said, ‘Track it down, Marge,’” he remarked, and that became the home run call for the RedHawks. Known as Michael’s signature call, it got even more special the day he lost his mom. 

Michaels shared a post on Instagram, revealing the passing of his mother with a few glimpses of her. Ahead of their match against the DockHounds, Michaels met Thomas in the lobby. He came right up, and gave him a big hug, saying, "Sorry about your mother, sorry about Marge,” the commentator recalled. As the duo engaged in a conversation, the player told Michaels, “Maybe we can get one for Marge tonight.” A few minutes into the game, as Michaels was giving his commentary, he was stunned to see Thomas hit a home run.

The solid shot prompted the commentator to say, “Thomas hits one straight into the centerfield… Marge, track that ball down!” As the player made his run, he celebrated by pointing up to the sky and then at the booth, towards Michaels, dedicating the shot in honor of the late Marge. Calling it a “special one,” the commentator remarked, "What Dillon Thomas just did, I will never forget. We lost Marge this morning,” he said, recalling the conversation with the player ahead of the match.

“His first at-bat, he homered to center and as he's rounding (toward home), points up here to the booth and points to the sky. I'll never forget that,” Michaels said, watching with spectators, as the RedHawks celebrated. Michaels also shared another post thanking the RedHawks for the tribute to his mum. It displayed an image of Marge on the screen and read, "Track it down, Marge. 1932 – 2025." 

This signature call will forever be etched on the commentator’s heart, just as all the viewers of this game. The gesture moved fans and reminded them of what sportsmanship is all about. @karenthomas5467 said, “What a special moment! God is good. Track it down, Marge," while @timflakoll wrote, "Does not get more special than that."

You can follow Jack Michaels (@t_clark_j_michaels) and Fargo-Moorehead Redhawks (@fmredhawks) on Instagram for more content on sportsmanship and baseball.