Cardinals’ Kolten Wong making a contribution

PHILADELPHIA >> The magnitude of the occasion was far less dramatic and cataclysmic. But for Kolten Wong the feeling was much the same.

Helplessness.

There was nothing he could do but watch from the his distant spot on the field as the Phillies’ Aaron Altherr’s sinking liner got past diving left fielder Marcell Ozuna for the game-winning two-run double. Just as there’s nothing he can do but watch from his distant spot on the mainland while cascades of lava continue to destroy homes and ruin lives back on Hawaii island back home.

For the kid who learned early on from his parents and grandparents to give back whenever possible, he’s fulfilling that legacy. After all, when you’re from Hawaii, wherever you may happen to be, it’s always a part of you.

“It’s obviously a kind of helpless feeling knowing there’s nothing I can do, nothing anybody can do,” said Wong during a recent stopover in Philadelphia, where he tried to snap out of a season-long funk as the Cardinals dropped two of three to the Phillies. “But I’m trying to help.

“I’ve created a Go Fund Me page, which so far has raised (more than $75,000). I’ve been talking to Habitat for Humanity about how can we help these people getting back to where they were?

“I know that area really well. None of my family was affected because we’re about 20-25 miles away, but we spent a lot of family vacations and reunions down there. So there’s definitely a lot of memories lost.”

Such dedication can’t help but register with his teammates, especially the one who’s known him the longest. “The money he’s raised is awesome and going to help a lot a lot of people out,” said Greg Garcia, Wong’s teammate going back to the University of Hawaii, before both began climbing the Cardinals’ minor league ladder en route to the majors.

“That just shows you who Kolten is as a person. He’s using his platform in a positive way to raise money for those affected by the lava.”

But has all that energy off the field been counterproductive between the white lines? Looking at Wong’s subpar numbers — 5 homers, 12 RBIs, .188 — it’s fair to wonder.

He doesn’t buy it.

“There’s no excuses, man,” said Wong, who in only his sixth season finds it hard to believe he already ranks sixth on the team in seniority. “It’s a hard sport.

“I’m only 27. I’m not frustrated with how my career’s been. I’ve done a lot of good things in my career. I’m still learning, still trying to figure out how to be the kind of player to make me most successful.”

His manager remains confident it’s only a matter of time before Wong turns it around.

“Kolten’s been great this season,” Mike Matheny said. “He is doing things that help us win games.

“He’s so good defensively we use him in some way almost every night. I think his offense is gonna come. I see a guy who has a high ceiling, so we continue to give him opportunities because we know we’re a better team when he’s right.”

Moments before Altherr spoiled the Cardinals’ comeback here Monday, Wong had kept the game going with a clutch two-out ninth inning single to tie it. It was typical of his current role, coming off the bench in a key spot and not letting the moment get to him.

“While I’m getting ready I’m building my confidence going up there getting ready to have a good at-bat and make sure I get a pitch I know I can hit,” said Wong, who started and batted eighth the last two games of the series, hitting a solo home run in Tuesday’s 7-6 come-from-behind win. “I’m still trying to get used to it, as you can tell by how my career’s gone.

“It’s been an up-and-down career. I’ve literally been put in every situation. I was an everyday starter when I came to the big leagues and then I wasn’t.

“So there’s still an adjustment period for me, trying to figure out how to make my swing work because I have so many moving parts to my swing. I have a leg kick and a lot going on in my swing. If I’m not getting consistent at-bats and getting it tuned up a lot of things can go wrong. I’ve tried numerous times to adjust it, but when you have a swing your entire life it’s hard to change that.”

Fortunately, Wong has a few sounding boards to air his frustrations. In addition to Garcia, there’s his wife, Alissa, back in St. Louis, the better half of a marriage he says was simply meant to be.

“She’s from Ohio but was actually born in Hawaii,” laughed Wong, a career .249 hitter who was most productive in his first two full seasons before beginning to struggle. “I met her in college.

“I tell her all the time it was meant to happen: A girl from Ohio born in Hawaii comes back to Hawaii. I say ‘You were meant to be with me.”

Apparently, in a different way, so was Garcia. “In Hawaii the biggest sport there is University of Hawaii baseball, so I knew who Greg was,” said Wong of his year-older longtime teammate. “I knew I’d get a chance to play with him someday, but never did I think for this long.

“We’ve enjoyed it and been able to reminisce of where we’ve been for our careers and what we’ve done. It’s crazy to think that coming from Hawaii we’d be playing on a big league team together. You can’t beat it.”

San Diego native Garcia agrees. “We’ve been pretty lucky,” said Garcia, who became a father for the first time June 4, when his daughter, Olivia, was born. “We first started playing together in the minors in 2012.

“I played short. He played second. Just to have that familiar face now is nice. He’s a good guy for me to have around.”

The only thing better would be for Wong’s little brother, Kean, to join the major league party. Just a heartbeat away playing for the Tampa Bay Rays’ Triple-A affiliate in Durham, N.C. , Kolten hopes it won’t be too long.

“He’s becoming his own player but he’s had me to look at as an example,” said Wong of 23-year-old Kean, who’s currently hitting .327 with six homers and 30 RBIs for the Bulls. “We talk probably once a week.

“It’s hard during the season when we’re both traveling and playing non-stop. I’ve told him all you can control is playing every day and trying to keep pushing these guys to force them to get you up there.”

In the meantime, Kolten Wong continues his push to restore a career that started off so promisingly before hitting a lull. Along the way he’s learned a number of things, not the least of which is that no matter what happens from here on he’s already done more than anyone could’ve imagined.

“You understand you’re here for a reason,” said Wong, who won’t get to go home until after the season. “I wouldn’t choose to be where I am right now, but I’m blessed to be able to play this sport.”

“All these years in the big leagues have really showed me how to become a true professional and understand there are more important things than hitting. Obviously hitting is what everyone talks about, but I pride myself on being full all-around player who can play my position, run the bases well and when I get to hit do my job.

“I know what I bring to the table and I’m not gonna change no matter what anybody says.”

And there’s nothing helpless about that.