Beltrán leads a Puerto Rican Band of Brothers
By César Augusto Márquez
As the Dodgers and the Astros look across the diamond tonight in Game 1 of the 2017 World Series, they will see both friend and foe.
While Houston first baseman Yulieski Gurriel might note to himself that Los Angeles right fielder Yasiel Puig was a young, untamed talent in Cuba when “Yuli” was the star of the national team, Astros designated hitter Carlos Beltrán may beam with pride at observing fellow Puerto Ricans Carlos Correa and Kiké Hernández on the diamond.
Don’t doubt that they will try to beat each other up to win the Fall Classic.
But don’t question the brotherhood that bonds them off the field. Especially in the case of #LosNuestros, shared ambitions and journeys that were born in the spring before the start of the World Baseball Classic have forged lasting friendships that rival anything the players might accomplish during the next week and half or the rest of their baseball careers. They are a Puerto Rican Band of Brothers.
WhatsApp hotline
When Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, many of the major league players from the island communicated with each other through a WhatsApp group set up before the WBC at the urging of St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.
Little did anyone know at the time that a modern-day social media app would become a useful tool for two old-school guys, Molina and Beltrán, to lead and inspire the younger generation. And to give guidance when disaster struck their homeland.
“The World Baseball Classic helped to unify us, not only as a country, but also as a team,” said Beltrán in Spanish during an interview with La Vida Baseball during the ALCS. “I think that was the biggest benefit, because those bonds served to keep us together and help each other during very difficult moments after Hurricane María hit Puerto Rico.”
Beltrán — along with Astros owner Jim Crane — has been one of the people in Major League Baseball most generous in relief efforts, pledging $1 million while helping to coordinate more than a half-dozen flights to the island.
Yet it’s only now that we’re seeing how remarkably tight the bond among the Puerto Rican major leaguers is, possibly helped by the fact that when compared to the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, they are much smaller in number — 28 total this season.
Spirit of No. 21
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the spirit of Roberto Clemente lives on with the newer generations, amplified by the reach of WhatsApp. With Crane’s help, Beltrán brought back to the States relatives of players on other teams — the Dodgers’ Hernández and the family of the girlfriend of Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor.
“Beltrán was one of the leaders during the WBC and remains a key figure for us,” Lindor said in Spanish during an interview with La Vida Baseball during the ALDS. “I’ve learned a lot from him and I’m grateful for his solidarity and support during these difficult moments in Puerto Rico.”
Pals or rivals, these distinctions clearly don’t matter in times of trouble.
“The time we spent together as a team [during the WBC] helped strengthen our bonds as Puerto Ricans,” Correa said in Spanish during an interview with La Vida Baseball during the ALCS. “Right now, a lot of people are going through hard times. Our minds are here, but our hearts are there. I’m proud to be a Puerto Rican.”
“If you see it from my point of view, I’m an athlete and I have a platform that allows me to help other people and it’s not wrong to use that platform to let others know about the situation,” Beltrán said.
“The first week after Hurricane María swept over Puerto Rico was very hard because you have family and loved ones there and it was difficult not knowing anything about them. But you have to concentrate on your job because you are a professional, despite their reality becoming your reality.
“We have the obligation to help all the Puerto Ricans who also happen to be American citizens, and one way or another, we have to understand that many people in Puerto Rico are going through hard times,” Beltrán added. “I’ve could have easily flown out only my family, but I think that we must show our solidarity as athletes and as Puerto Rican brothers.”
Doing what Clemente would do
Beltrán, 40, is in the World Series for the second time, looking for his first championship ring to cap a 20-year career that started with the Rookie of Year Award in 1999 and includes nine All-Star selections and three Gold Gloves.
One of the best switch-hitters in history, he’s arguably the player from Puerto Rico who has most emulated Clemente on and off the field. In fact, he won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2013 in part because he started his own foundation and built a baseball academy on the island.
“Beltrán has done so much for Puerto Rico,” Hernández said in Spanish during an interview with La Vida Baseball during the NLCS.
For Puerto Rico and for the Astros, according to Correa.
“If we need someone to lean on, a leader on this team, no doubt that it’s Carlos Beltrán,” Correa said. “He’s one of the players from which I learn the most every day, someone who doesn’t care about sharing advice and the wisdom he’s accumulated after all these years in baseball. Carlos is the kind of person who watches you hit and tells you what you should be doing.”
“This is a young, but talented team, and I try to help where I can,” Beltrán said.
He’s done so much already, but we can guess there is more to come.
Featured Image: Alex Trautwig / MLB Photos / Getty Images