Cam Booser’s path to the MLB postseason was paved with injury, addiction, and construction work before his dramatic breakthrough with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The tension at Tropicana Field was suffocating as Cam Booser stood on the mound during the fifth inning of Monday night’s ALDS Game 2. With the bases loaded and the score tied. the 34-year-old lefty watched as Cody Bellinger fouled off his first two pitches. Then came the fastball. Booser turned. eyes tracking the ball as it sailed toward the outfield wall. a moment where a season’s worth of work felt like it might vanish into a gap. When center fielder Jonny DeLuca settled under the ball to secure the final out, the stadium exhaled.
“A little bit of relief as he caught it,” Booser admitted later. It was his only out of the night. yet it secured him the win in the Rays’ 5-2 victory over the Yankees. For Booser. the moment felt impossibly distant from where he stood just seven years prior: living with his parents in the Seattle area. working for a carpenters union. and installing acoustical ceilings in high-rise buildings while battling a severe alcohol addiction.
His journey back to the diamond was defined by a series of brutal physical and personal setbacks. As a high school sophomore, he dislocated his knee and fractured his femur playing football. Two years later, he broke his L5 vertebra. His freshman year at Oregon State in 2011 brought Tommy John surgery, leading to him flunking out of the university. Despite these hurdles. a 2013 stint in the West Coast League caught the attention of Twins scout Trevor Brown. who signed him as an undrafted free agent. But the injuries persisted: a torn left labrum in 2015 and a broken back suffered in a bicycle accident while recovering from shoulder surgery in 2016.
By 2017, the cycle of physical trauma, heavy drinking, and a 50-game suspension for testing positive for marijuana left him hollow. On November 20, 2017, the official record listed him as retired. Back in Seattle. he spent his days hanging ceilings. his mind haunted by the unfinished business of a career he assumed was dead. He could even see the Mariners’ ballpark from one of the high-rises he helped build. The isolation of his addiction grew so deep that he eventually knelt in his home. a bottle of rum nearby. and prayed for the strength to stop drinking. He hasn’t touched alcohol in six years.
Following his sobriety, Booser began giving pitching lessons at a facility in Puyallup, Washington. Initially, he couldn’t bring himself to play catch, fearing the yips and his old injuries. Eventually. he threw into a net in secret. and when he finally tested his arm on the mound. the fastball hit 97-98 mph. After an independent stint with the Chicago Dogs and a release from the Diamondbacks’ system in 2022. he moved to Phoenix with his wife. Jessica. and revamped his delivery. A 2023 season with the Red Sox led to his major league debut on April 19. 2024. at PNC Park—a game attended by his parents. Tim and Debbie. and his sisters.
Booser’s path underscores a rare convergence of persistence and professional redirection. After struggling with the White Sox, he joined the Rays, choosing to wait in Triple-A Durham until his May 31 call-up. He finished the season with a 1.98 ERA over 42 appearances. led all MLB lefties in walk rate. and posted the best WHIP among AL relievers with at least 40 innings of work. For pitching coach Kyle Snyder, the performance is a direct reflection of the work ethic born from those dark years.
Booser remains focused on the present. viewing his role not just as a pitcher. but as a person who might reach others who are suffering in silence. He knows firsthand how heavy that silence can be. Today. he calls his current chapter with the Rays an absolute blessing. a story that. after years of trials and tribulations. continues to unfold on the biggest stage in baseball.
Cam Booser Tampa Bay Rays MLB postseason alcohol addiction recovery baseball story