Campbell childhood shaped MLB pitcher's sobriety

Lucas Erceg has made his sobriety date part of his baseball equipment. The Kansas City Royals reliever has “6/10/20” stitched onto his glove, a reference to the day he stopped drinking after what he has described as years of alcohol abuse, depression and self-destructive behavior. In interviews with MLB.com and other outlets, Erceg has linked that recovery to a childhood in Campbell, California, where he said baseball became a refuge from instability at home. The result is a player profile rooted less in a single turning point than in a long chain of family history, addiction and recovery. ### Why does Campbell matter so much in Erceg’s account? Campbell, California, is where Erceg says many of the patterns that shaped his adult life first took hold. In a 2022 interview with MLB.com, Erceg said he grew up there with a mother who was an alcoholic and a father with whom he was never close. Westmont High School in Campbell was also where Erceg emerged as a top baseball prospect. MLB’s player biography says he graduated from Westmont and was the 2013 Central Coast Section Player of the Year as a senior. ### What did Erceg say about alcohol and the start of his addiction? Erceg told MLB.com that drinking followed him into college and professional baseball. (mlb.com) He said he lost his spot at California because of drinking and other trouble off the field, then transferred to Menlo College before the Milwaukee Brewers drafted him in the second round in 2016 with a $1.15 million signing bonus. (mlb.com) The Brewers bonus and early pro success did not stop the problem. Erceg told MLB.com that he convinced himself alcohol was manageable because he could still perform, saying he would drink and then play well the next day. ### What happened on June 10, 2020? June 10, 2020, is the date Erceg identifies as the first day of his sobriety. (mlb.com) MLB.com reported that the crisis deepened during the pandemic shutdown, when Erceg said he spent days at home in Phoenix drinking, playing video games and spiraling into what he called “dark, dark spaces.” Emma, then his girlfriend and now his wife, forced a choice. (mlb.com) Erceg said she told him to “help yourself, or I’m moving on,” according to the Missouri Department of Corrections, which published an account of his 2025 visit to Boonville Correctional Center. ### How severe did the crisis become? Erceg has described the period before sobriety in stark terms. (mlb.com) The Missouri corrections department quoted him saying, “I was thinking about suicide and these dark, demeaning thoughts,” as his drinking threatened his career and his health. The physical toll was immediate after he quit. The department said Erceg struggled to keep down water in early sobriety and dropped to 160 pounds before gradually recovering. (doc.mo.gov) ### How has he carried that recovery into his baseball career? Erceg has used the glove inscription as a daily marker. MLB.com reported in October 2024 that he kept the date stitched on a new Royals glove after joining Kansas City, and Erceg said of sobriety, “It’s why I’m here, I think.” (doc.mo.gov) Kansas City Star columnist Vahe Gregorian reported in September 2024 that Erceg wanted to discuss his recovery publicly to hold himself accountable and encourage others to seek help. (doc.mo.gov) Gregorian wrote that Erceg said, “Society isn’t going to look down on you because you have a problem,” but will judge inaction. (mlb.com) ### Where is he taking that message now? Boonville Correctional Center in Missouri invited Erceg to speak on June 9, 2025, one day before his five-year “sober birthday,” according to the Missouri Department of Corrections. Chaplain Tristram McCormack joined him on stage as Erceg told inmates about Campbell, addiction and the decision to quit drinking. (kansascity.com) MLB.com’s current player page lists Erceg as a Royals pitcher, and his public comments indicate he continues to make recovery part of his identity on and off the field. His next visible marker remains the same one on his glove: June 10, the date he says changed his life. (mlb.com) (doc.mo.gov)