“That’s when alcoholism kind of imploded” - Royals’ Lucas Erceg opens up about his harrowing MLB journey and battle with addiction

Kansas City Royals reliever Lucas Erceg recalled his experience with alcohol addiction and his struggles with it in front of a group of inmates at the Boonville Correctional Center on Thursday.

June 9 marked five years of sobriety for Erceg, and he chose to talk about his journey in front of many who have struggled with something similar.

Erceg revealed that baseball came as an escape to him while growing up in Campbell, California, under the shadow of an alcoholic mother and abuse at home. However, in college, he got hold of bad habits such as constant drinking, skipping classes, and even suicidal thoughts, which led to him flunking out despite being first-team All-Pac-12.

"I always used baseball as an outlet to kind of get away from all that and just go out and compete," Erceg said via ESPN. "I had natural abilities, and I had that natural fire, that natural competitor in me that kind of took me to the next level quickly.

"But I wasn't a man, you know what I mean? I didn't make the right decisions. And I think that's when alcoholism kind of imploded on me and took over who I was as a person."

Following his move to the Royals last year, Tristram "Sean" McCormack, the chaplain at the facility, had invited Lucas Erceg to speak to the inmates about his journey at Hope Chapel.

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Lucas Erceg credits wife Emma for understanding the gravity of his alcohol addiction

Even after landing at Menlo College, where the Milwaukee Brewers scouted him and getting drafted in 2016, Lucas Erceg's struggles with alcohol continued. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, his wife Emma, whom he married in 2022 after six years of relationship, found "15 empty beer cans" at home.

After seeing Erceg taking his life down to the toilet, she gave him a wake-up call, while issuing the ultimatum that either get sober in two weeks or she would be leaving him.

Erceg knew that he needed to get a hold on his life before it started going out of his hands.

"Looking back on it now ... I was constantly putting myself in the worst position possible to have success but still able to find that success just so I can say, 'Hey, I did that. I did that on my own,'" Erceg said. "I didn't need any help. I didn't ask for help. I didn't want help. I was kind of flipping people the bird when they reached out their hand."

From that point on, June 10, 2020, Lucas Erceg started his journey to sobriety. He didn't indulge in any rehab, just quit his habit cold turkey. His attempt at achieving sobriety saw him lose nearly 40 pounds, become gaunt, and even lose his appetite for water.

Even to this date, "6/10/2020" is etched on his baseball glove, a daily reminder of the day he changed his life for the better.