Wake Forest pitcher Charlie Mellies was holding a 4-3 lead with two outs in the sixth in his team’s March 18, 2006 home game against Boston College when Mellies let go an 0-2 fastball and felt a pull in his elbow. His next pitch didn’t even reach the plate, and he had to leave the game.
About 80 miles away, Terrapin catcher Dan Mellies was in Chapel Hill for a series at North Carolina. That night he got a call from his twin brother.
“He called me and said he was pitching against Boston College, and he blew his arm out,” Mellies said. “I was shocked. For a pitcher, that’s a lot more detrimental than for a position player.”
On April 14, Charlie had season-ending Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on the elbow.
Dan had also been feeling discomfort in his elbow, but didn’t think anything of it.
On April 23, in the final game of the Terps’ Wake Forest series, Dan Mellies entered as a defensive replacement. Charlie sat in the opposing dug out watching his brother play.
Flash forward to last Sunday. With Wake Forest visiting the Terps for their annual meeting, Charlie was about to make his first start since the surgery. His parents, little league coach, former teachers and friends were there to cheer for him. Across the diamond in the Terps dugout sat Dan, just over six weeks removed from the same surgery.
It was a strange reversal of fortunes for the brothers that has them joking about bad genetics and still holding out hope they’ll step onto the same collegiate baseball field together healthy.
Initially, it looked like the pair would be taking the field together often and playing for the same college team. They each had a stellar career at Centreville (Va.) High School, with Charlie setting the school record for career wins while throwing to Dan. They planned to take their battery combination to the same college, but as Dan joked, Charlie ruined it.
“We were going to go as a ‘package-deal,'” Dan said. “The one school that said they didn’t need a catcher was Wake Forest.”
Charlie visited Wake Forest while Dan stayed home to participate in minicamp with his high school football team. Charlie realized right away Wake Forest was too good an opportunity to pass up, and Dan told him to follow his heart.
At that point, all but one of the schools that had been recruiting the brothers pulled back their offers to Dan.
Dan went to Western Carolina, but he didn’t play and ended up transferring to George Mason to be closer to home.
The following season, Dan transferred to this university and was forced to sit out the 2005 season. He had to watch as Charlie started against the Terps that season and recorded a no-decision.
Then came last season, and the start of the injuries.
At first, Dan didn’t know how to best support his brother.
“I kind of just left him alone because I figured he was pretty nervous about it, because it was the first time he’d ever had surgery, the first time he’d ever gone through anything like that,” he said.
Once the surgery was successful, though, he became very helpful in his brother’s rehab. This summer, Charlie stayed in North Carolina to continue to work his way back. However, whenever he went home, Dan was there to throw with him, even if he did make fun of some of the drills Charlie had to do to get back his arm strength.
Then earlier this season, Dan called Charlie to tell his brother the elbow pain he had been dealing with would also require Tommy John surgery.
Charlie stepped in to “comfort his little brother,” who is nine minutes younger than him.
“[Charlie] scared the crap out of me the first time,” Dan said. “I called him right before I went into surgery, and he told me to make sure I stay with the [medicine] and everything. He said, ‘I know you’re going to try and tough it out, but I’ve never been in more pain the night afterwards.'”
Now Dan is the one doing the drills he poked fun at over the summer and is the one missing the chance to take the field together over the weekend.
“It’s kind of like a running joke now,” Charlie said. “It’s starting to seem like we’re dodging each other.”
That seems to be the farthest thing from the truth, as both brothers said their superior knowledge of the other would give them the upper hand in a head-to-head matchup.
For now, the pair, who talk on the phone nearly every day, will support each other and leave the confrontation on the back burner.
Dan said he was rooting for his brother’s arm to be healthy in Charlie’s start against the Terps on Sunday. Unfortunately for Dan’s teammates, Charlie’s arm seems to be in good condition – he pitched two scoreless innings against the Terps on Sunday.
After watching Charlie’s performance Sunday, Dan said he is confident his brother will return to his previous form.
“It’s real comforting knowing that he’s gone through it,” Dan said. “It’s like me having gone through it. It’s a carbon copy, so whatever he’s able to go through, I’m able to do it, too. It’s a lot easier being the second one to go through it.”
Contact reporter Eric Detweiler at edetweilerdbk@gmail.com.
