MABL/MSBL Player of the Week: Rich Cochrane, 3-game-winner at 2024 MSBL World Series, East Coast Phillies 50+Desert Division

Submitted by Jeff Ennis, East Coast Phillies teammate

Buy in.  That’s all that Rich Cochrane asks of anyone who knows him.  Whether it’s on the baseball field, as a follower of his YouTube channel where he is known as the Barefoot Motivator, or simply as a friend.  Prior to the games that he is scheduled to pitch, you will often see his teammates circled around him while he yells a motivational speech influenced by Vikings.

Often times while on the mound in the middle of an inning, you will hear him yell, “Who wants it?” He is one of the most positive and uplifting people you will ever meet.  Buy into life. That’s all Rich wants from anyone he comes in contact with.

To understand how Rich became the player and motivator that he is, we have to understand the journey he went through.  Rich had a ruptured disc in his neck that was fused in 2001.  In 2008 when his son ran into him going to give him a hug, his neck snapped back and two discs went into his spinal cavity.  This partially paralyzed him from the neck down for five weeks.  His neck was fused again in 2009 with titanium.  As a result, he would deal with permanent pain and neck spasms for the rest of his life.

In 2017 after his medication was late getting filled, he landed in intensive care.  He was diagnosed with a form of MS called transverse myelitis.  Most would give in to what Rich went through, but Rich is a warrior.  Ask any teammate and they would tell you they would be happy to go to battle with him on the field.

Now that you know the journey, it will help you understand how amazing his run at this year’s MSBL World Series was.  Rich pitched three complete games in three days.  Two nine-inning games and one seven-inning game for a total of 25 innings.  In his first game, Rich struck out five and allowed four earned runs over seven innings for a 20-5 win.  The very next day Rich started the first game of a doubleheader.  Rich gave up four runs in the first inning and didn’t allow another run until the fourth inning where he gave up three more runs.

After the fourth inning he didn’t give up a run until the eighth where he gave up five more runs.  Rich got his teammates to buy in and they out-hit and outscored their opponents earning him the 19-12 win.  He struck out one and gave up 11 earned runs over nine innings.

Rich’s final outing came on the final day of pool play where seeding was at stake.  On short rest and fighting fatigue, Rich pitched a nine-inning gem.  His opponents scored three runs in the first and Rich never gave up another run. He earned his third victory 7-3, giving up two earned runs in a 5-strikeout complete game victory, earning him the nickname ‘Rubber Arm Rich’.  Some pitchers at the World Series earn two wins but three is rare.  Who wants it?  The answer is clear…. Rich Cochrane.