Pat Shortt Opens Up About The Devastating Loss of His Son

For the first time in over 30 years, Pat Shortt didn’t host a Thanksgiving or Christmas at his home.

It was simply to soon since the devastating passing of his only child, Joe, who had just turned 37-years-old. He chose to spend the holidays with the Strovinks, close family friends and a well-respected Long Island baseball family. Eric, the father, had a decorated career at Shoreham-Wading River in the late 80s and his two sons, Brennan and Kyle, who both played at Rocky Point.

The past four months have been unspeakably difficult for Shortt, a former professional pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization for one season and member of the MLB Scouting Bureau for 24 years.

“It’s been very tough on Carmen and I,” said Pat. “When you lose a parent it’s rough–but it’s what’s expected. When you lose a child–regardless of your age–it is devastating,” he added.

Joe was inflicted with chronic pancreatitis. He battled through seven surgeries to try to rid his body of infected fluid. The entire process took 59 days. While that may not seem like much, Pat stated that the doctor in the ICU told him he should’ve only survived for 20 days with what he went through.

On the morning of his passing, the doctor informed him that he would be placed on comfort care–which is the period of time when it is believed that medication will no longer be beneficial and the care is focused on pain relief and quality of life. Once this occurs, it’s simply a matter of time before the patient passes away.

During this time, a number of friends and family were allowed to say their final goodbyes to Joe. Pat and his wife were the last to do so.

After his passing, Pat and Carmen opted to not have a traditional service but a celebration of life, in which friends and family were invited to Cecere Funeral Home from 4-8pm and share their best memories of Joe. Pat stated that what he took solace in the stories that were shared by his loved ones, reflecting on Joe’s life.

Among those to speak at the event was New York Mets scout Larry Izzo. The longtime member of Mets had known Joe as well as anyone, since the time he was young and eventually got him a job as an area scout for the Mets.

“I told everyone, you might know Joe but you don’t know him like I did,” recalled Izzo. “Joe was a great kid. He was quiet–he played the game right. He was a good teammate and that’s a testament to his parents. Thank God for Pat and his wife. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” he said. “Whatever he did, he did the best he could. As a pitcher, if he just threw a little harder, he would’ve been in the big leagues. Nobody could have a catch with him because of the movement on his ball. Hitters couldn’t pick the ball up and he had great command,” he added.

When it came to athletics, it was always clear that Joe was talented.

Pat noted that he taught him the finer points of pitching from a young age and he immediately picked up on it.

“All he did was get people out,” he said. In his youth, he was also a gifted basketball players. Unlike most athletes born in the 80s, he cited “Pistol” Pete Maravich as his favorite player of all-time. He played both sports during his younger days but shifted his focus to baseball as he got older.

Surprisingly, he actually was cut from his JV team in 9th grade but focused himself in the off-season to becoming a more complete player. The hard work paid off as he became an All-County pitcher at South Side HS in 11th grade. Additionally, he was selected to compete in the Empire State Games that summer, when it was hosted at Stony Brook University for the first time.

Additionally, he played his summer ball on the South Shore Heat for 12-year MLB veteran and former No. 1 pick in the country Neal Heaton.

“We got along very well,” said Heaton. “He was a very coachable kid. He also was one of my better pitchers. He had three pitches that he threw for strikes. I taught him not to be afraid to use his fastball. It was more of a sinker so even if they knew it was coming it would be tough to hit. He was very effective on that team,” he added.

Pat stated that Neal was his favorite coach of all-time, and he also had a great deal of respect for his high school coach, Steve Smaldone.

“Steve had a big influence on his life and as a student. He helped him at school, managing his Tourette’s Syndrome,” said Pat.

Joe went on to play at Briarcliffe College on a full scholarship for two seasons, where he helped lead them to the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction one year

before transferring to Daytona Beach College in Florida. He finished his playing career at Western Kentucky University, where he enjoyed a lot of success playing in the ultra-competitive Sun Belt Conference against teams like Louisiana Lafayette, South Alabama and his fathers’s alma mater, Lamar University.

His performance landed him in the New England Collegiate Baseball League playing for the Torrington Twisters.

Despite not getting drafted, he was able to stay involved in baseball first as a Head Coach in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League and then landing the Pitching Coach job at Molloy College.

Larry Izzo assisted in getting his foot in the professional scouting door. He worked with them for five years.

“He knew enough and he was smart enough to be an addition to the staff but ultimately he drifted toward a career in food,” he said.

Joe graduated from the Culinary Art School in Manhattan, which became his career. He was able to land a job as the Executive Chef at Perennial in Garden City. He found a lot of success in his second career, with Perennial drawing rave reviews from Newsday.

He moved on to Frank’s Steakhouse in Rockville Center, when they offered to double his salary in order to land his services. This was his most recent job.

To prove how well-respected the 37-year-old was, look no further than the turnout at his celebration of life. According to Pat, over 450 people came through the doors at Cecare Funeral Home to pay their respects. As Larry Izzo said, that is a testament to his parents and the job they did raising him.

Pat and his wife, Carmen, have been attending Support Groups for support as they continue life without their beloved son. Pat will continue to be the pitching coach at SUNY Old Westbury.