Zach Thornton’s Mets journey begins with tribute to his paralyzed dad

Zach Thornton’s MLB career began with a touching father-son moment — but it was no ordinary one.

The Mets left-hander blew a kiss to his dad, Paul, who was watching from the stands, as the rookie took the mound to face the Nationals in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.

The sentimental moment is all the more touching with Paul having vowed to attend the game earlier in the week — and checking out of Chicago’s Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where he spent the last month learning how to walk again after a botched spinal surgery, according to The Athletic.

Mets rookie Zach Thornton sends a kiss to his dad, Paul, in the stands ahead of his MLB debut. SNY

Paul Thornton, who checked himself out of rehab to attend his son’s first MLB start, threw a thumbs-up to Zach. SNY

“It was go and be a dad and support a young man in Zach or take care of my health,” Paul told the outlet. “The doctors at Shirley Ryan assured me that my health was in good hands and that they felt as though I could do it. So it really made my decision very easy.

“To be honest, as a dad, I’m not going to miss this,” he added.

Zach, 24, pitched to a 3.16 ERA in the minors this season, earning himself a call-up after Clay Holmes went on the injured list with a fractured fibula.

With his dad in the stands in a wheelchair along with his mom Julie on his side, the family clapped as Zach — a wispy 6-foot-3, 170-pound hurler — struck out Washington’s Dylan Crews for his first major league K.

It’s hard to believe because of course we’re like, ‘What? This is happening already?'” Julie told SNY’s Steve Gelbs during Wednesday’s game broadcast. “But yeah, so much pride. He’s been an underdog, and I just feel like he’s gone through so much, so it’s just so fun. Just a prideful moment.”

Paul, a track coach at the University of Kansas and a former athlete at St. Olaf, had surgery on April 2 to remove a tumor from his spine. The procedure ended early when he began to bleed and lost feeling in his lower body, per The Athletic.

The elder Thornton has documented his rehab on social media, and he’ll get an extra special update to make after the whirlwind start to the week — one the Mets have played a very big role in.

“Being called up is one thing, and that’s a special thing,” Paul told Gelbs.

“But given a situation which we have had, and the support that the Mets have provided Zach over the last couple months has been nothing short of awesome. It makes a lot more of a special thing.”