ROCKWALL, Texas — Baseball was the furthest thing from Britton and Amanda Chism’s minds when they learned their baby was due November 21.
They, like most Texas Rangers fans, assumed the season would be a distant memory by the time mid-November rolled around.
“With the Rangers’ track record, we’re not thinking playoffs at all,” Britton admitted.
The couple are die-hard Rangers supporters – especially Britton, who grew up in Grand Prairie and has been going to games since he was a young boy.
Watching his favorite team in a history-making playoff run evoked some pretty loud emotions.
“He was jumping up and down yelling and screaming. I was telling her the whole time in my stomach, you better get used to it!” Amanda said.
The Rangers unbelievable postseason run ended in a thrilling World Series win on Nov. 1.
With Amanda’s due date a little less than three weeks away, they considered skipping the victory parade in Arlington.
They eventually decided to go and had “an incredible day” at Texas Live – with no labor pains or any hint that their baby girl was ready to make her appearance.
The day after the parade, World Series MVP Corey Seager was making an appearance at an Academy Sports and Outdoors not far from their Rockwall home.
They arrived to a long line but happily braved it.
“The whole day we were joking around between us and the people around us like, oh maybe if I go into labor, we’ll be guaranteed to get an autograph,” Amanda said.
As they got closer and closer to Seager, Amanda felt something.
And those jokes became reality.
“I was like – wait, this can’t be real! There’s no way this is happening right now!” she said.
Amanda went into labor standing in line, but she didn’t even tell her husband until after they got Seager’s signature.
“I’m like, if I tell him now, first-time dad… he’s going to start freaking out panicking,” she said. “I was like, we’ve got to get this signature. We stood in line for three hours. I’m getting this signature!”
With Seager’s autograph in hand, Amanda finally told Britton that her water had broken as they walked out the door to their car.
“I went from being a fan girl with Seager thinking I was going to faint, and then, oh no! It’s time to go!” Britton said.
They sped to a hospital and their healthy daughter arrived within hours.
Britton lobbied for working “Corey” or “Seager” into the name, but “the foot was put down,” he said.
So Savannah Renee Chism it is.
“[Seager’s] number is 5. Savannah was born on the fifth at a hospital off Highway 5, and she was five pounds 14 ounces,” Britton said. “So, the number 5 has got a special place in this family.”
“I’ve already changed my passcodes and everything,” he added.