PHILADELPHIA — Up on the top shelf of Joe Mancini’s bookcase is a baseball that he has kept for more than 15 years.
That ball came off the bat of Christian Walker early in his days at Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School. It was a grand slam, and Mancini, there to watch one of his oldest friends play, raced beyond the outfield wall to go fetch it.
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Walker and Mancini, now in his mid-30s, drifted apart after high school. But, for Mancini at least, their bond still resonates. That ball isn’t just a keepsake, it’s a point of pride he shows to anyone in his home. At work, he’ll play Walker’s highlight clips for coworkers and boasts that he knows the MLB star.
In Norristown, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb of 35,000 people, Walker is a hometown hero. He’s not the home run leader that’s helped power the Diamondbacks to their first NLCS since 2007. He’s just a kid who is remembered fondly.
This week, Mancini said he plans to get tickets to see his old friend, and favorite team, at Citizens Bank Park.
“When he gets up to bat, I don’t think I’ll boo that one,” Mancini said. “I think I’ll just tip my hat. Like, alright, let’s see what you got.”
Christian Walker looks on after striking out in the fourth inning on Monday. (Sarah Stier / Getty Images)Walker has become one of the most important players on this surging Diamondbacks team. The 32-year-old has had a weird and elongated trajectory to this point. He made it up briefly with the Orioles for a total of 13 games in 2014-15. He struggled at Triple A in 2016, then was DFA’d by three different teams in the span of a month during spring training in 2017. But he eventually found his offense, crushing at least 29 homers in three of the last four full seasons. He won a Gold Glove at first base last year. And this season has blossomed into one of the game’s more consistent power hitters.
Now, he’s back home for the most important games of his career. And doing it for a community that loves him, is proud of his accomplishments, but still might have a hard time rooting for him.
“There was always a following,” said his high school coach, Tom Sergio. “Whether it was his classmates coming to games just to cheer for him. Whether it was dozens of scouts coming to games, watching him play. Now he’s playing in front of 50,000 people every night. He’s been bred to be doing exactly what he’s doing. … The people that know Christian and know where he’s from are going to be torn.”
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Before Walker became the local hero in Norristown, there was Chris Lubanski. That’s a name long lost to the depths of baseball anonymity. Lubanski also came out of Kennedy-Kenrick, and was the No. 5 overall pick in 2003 by the Royals. His career was supposed to be the one that Walker went on to have six years later. Lubanski, however, never made the majors and retired in 2011 after an unsuccessful stint in indy ball.
When Walker first tried out for varsity baseball in freshman year, it was alongside Mike Lubanski, Chris’ brother. Everyone was eyeing Mike Lubanski. He had the last name and the cachet that came with it. Instead, it was Walker who stole the show.
“The school we went to was a very small school,” Lubanski said. “You’re talking 100-150 students in a graduating class. It’s not a 5A high school. You’re talking a little school in the suburbs of Philadelphia. To have two guys that played professionally. To have a guy now that’s going to play in the NLCS, it’s phenomenal. It’s great to see. It’s great for the area.”
Everyone describes Walker as a nice and respectful kid growing up. He wasn’t a bully or a prototypical jock. He was down-to-earth and friendly. Someone who everyone believed would get to the point where is today, given how much he put into his craft. He provided a memorable sign of his potential later in high school when he beat Bryce Harper in a Home Run Derby.
For as relaxed as Walker was among friends, he was equally intense and professional when it came to the game. It all was a quiet confidence. Derek Barnes, one of Walker’s oldest friends, remembered facing Jason Heyward and their East Cobb Astros travel ball team.
“He was like, ‘Eh, they’re not better than us,’” Barnes recalled Walker said.
“‘What do you mean they’re not better than us,’” Barnes replied.
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“‘They might be big. But they’re not better than us,’” was Walker’s retort.
“And he came out and he proved it,” Barnes said. “He beat them.”
Walker’s homecoming has created some personal consternation among his oldest friends and admirers. Because for as much as they always have and always will root for his success, it absolutely cannot come at the expense of the Phillies.
Shane Giongo, who often hit fourth behind Walker in the Kennedy-Kenrick lineup, said a group text among old friends has been left “speechless” this week at how cool it is for him to be playing in the NLCS. Still, it won’t change their allegiances.
Maybe in a regular-season game. But not in the NLCS, when Walker is standing in the way of a chance to play for their first World Series championship in 15 years.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he did get some boos,” said Giongo, who is a Phillies season-ticket holder.
Barnes was clearly in some emotional turmoil when posed the question. As with most Philly sports fans, Barnes is a diehard. This interview took place at halftime of the Eagles game on Sunday, when he had a breather to chat. He has kept pictures of him and Walker standing on a mound as kids. Some of his best childhood memories are of his father, and Christian’s late father, Scott Walker, making them show up to games early to prepare, parking their Ford Trucks next to each other in the lot. Barnes transferred to play with Walker for the latter half of high school.
“You want to talk about two things I love,” Barnes said. “Whichever one of these teams win, I hope they win the World Series. That’s all I’ll say.”
Walker gets it, of course. He used to be one of these kids who rooted for the Phillies. Growing up, the background on his phone was the 2008 Phillies championship team.
“That’s what I’m expecting,” Walker said of his friends rooting against him. “I might get a cheer here or there if I get a hit. You know how it is. They got that pinstripe on. They want the Phillies to win.”
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Many of his old friends and teammates have been or will be in attendance this week to see him play. Walker said his phone has lit up with people congratulating him. Some asking for tickets. Most, however, will have to buy their own.
Mancini said he once brought that grand slam baseball to a regular-season game in Philadelphia in the hopes of finding Walker, and getting him to sign it. He wasn’t able to make it happen. But, he said, he planned to try again this week. Because this would be the perfect moment for him to sign that ball for a fan and friend who represents where he came from and where he is now.
“It’s going to be cool to see him back in town and all that,” Mancini said before Walker went 0-for-3 with walk and a run scored in a Game 1 loss to the Phillies. “If the worst were to happen and they beat us, or whatever. If they win the World Series, it would sting less than any other team winning.
“But, still, at the end of the day, it’s like ‘F— him, go Phils.’”
(Top photo of the Diamondbacks’ Christian Walker in Philadelphia earlier this season: Rich Graessle / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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