ATLANTA — Wiley Ballard met Braves manager Brian Snitker’s wife, Ronnie, at a gathering with his Bally Sports coworkers following the final game of the 2023 regular season.
“I was introduced as, ‘Hey this is Wiley, he’s the stat guy from the truck,'” Ballard recalled. “I said, ‘It’s good to meet you; I believe you might know my father, Perry Ballard.’ “She just melted in front of me.”
To comprehend the feelings evoked by this introduction, travel back to 1993, when Ronnie was diagnosed with breast cancer. The Braves assisted her in finding the finest care, which led to a consultation with highly regarded oncologist Dr. Perry Ballard, who welcomed Wiley into the world that same year.
“It was a little brush with mortality, but she was a joy to take care of,” said Dr. Ballard. “She took chemotherapy like a champ and moved on with her life. “She is one of my heroes.”
Ronnie went with chemotherapy and 16 various surgical procedures, including a double mastectomy, while raising two children, Erin and Troy, who were six and four years old when their mother was first diagnosed.
Erin is a mother of three who works in the medical field. Troy has worked as the Astros’ hitting coach since 2019.
With the Astros wrapping off a three-game series at Yankee Stadium just as the Braves arrived in New York to prepare for this weekend’s matchup against the Mets, Ronnie received an early Mother’s Day gift: the opportunity to eat breakfast with Troy on Thursday morning.
“We’re just so blessed that we had her through all of this,” Troy concluded. “Dad might not still be in baseball and I might not be in baseball.”
Brian Snitker’s well-known narrative of commitment and dedication may have turned out quite differently if his wife had not supported him and their children with the courage and resolve she did. The cancer diagnosis came a little more than a decade after two-time World Series champion Cito Gaston met Brian and Ronnie in Bradenton, Florida. Gaston and the Braves’ current manager were young coaches who shared a room in the Instructional League.
