Gurriels cherish Father’s Day together

HOUSTON – Lourdes Gurriel Jr. didn’t bother buying a gift before joining his legendary father at his older brother Yuli’s home Saturday night to celebrate Father’s Day early.

The gifts Lourdes Gurriel Sr. wanted could not be bought. One is difficult to attain during the baseball season, yet it’s free. The other had to be earned the hard way on the diamond, as the elder Gurriel did often while becoming one of the greatest players in Cuban baseball history while defining the Carribean power’s dominance during the 1980s and 1990s.

“He just said, ‘Get results,’” Gurriel Jr. said with a chuckle. “Being together was the biggest gift we could give him.”

For the second time since the Gurriel brothers stunned the Cuban baseball world by defecting in February 2016, they faced each other as major leaguers this past weekend when Gurriel Jr. of the Blue Jays visited Yuli’s Astros for a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.

Yuli, 35, faced his younger brother Lourdes, 24, for the first time as professional players last September in Toronto, but this meeting was more meaningful because of Father’s Day weekend.

“I follow them constantly,” Gurriel Sr. said. “I’m always aware of everything they do. Then, as I said from the start, this is a gift from God to be united here and seeing both of my boys in this great game.”

The duel that Cuban fans once longed to see in Cuba finally materialized in Toronto last September and again in Houston on Friday, continuing throughout the weekend although Yuli was not in the starting lineup Sunday on Father’s Day.

The elder Gurriel, 62, wore a special jersey that agent Andy Mota had custom made out of an orange Astros jersey and a blue Toronto jersey.

His wife wore a similar jersey. The left side of the jersey was blue with the Blue Jays’ logo on the front and “Gur” above No. 13 on the back. The right side of the jersey was orange with “Riel” above No. 10 on the back.

“I’m very happy because I never thought this could happen,” said the elder Gurriel, who won more than 20 gold medals with Team Cuba in international tournaments, including one at the Olympics. “This is very extraordinary. I never thought that both of my sons could be in a series like this playing in this moment.

“For me it’s a great honor to be next to them in these moments celebrating Father’s Day with them because they’re fathers too. And (for) the rest of the Houston people, congratulations to all of the fathers on this day.”

The trio gathered for a picture near home plate about 15 minutes before the series finale Sunday afternoon. They chatted briefly and then posed for another picture with Cionel Pérez Sr., the father of the Astros’ lefthanded Cuban reliever.

A few minutes later, the elder Gurriel walked toward the plate with Héctor Benito Rondón, Pérez Sr. and Sam Bregman to throw out the ceremonial first pitches to their respective Astros sons, Héctor Rondón, Pérez Jr., Yuli Gurriel and Alex Bregman.

The youngest Gurriel, as a Blue Jays left fielder, watched from the visitors’ dugout along the third base line.

“It’s a beautiful experience to have the opportunity to be here on Father’s Day with my brother and his family,” Lourdes Jr. said. “It’s something beautiful.”

It had been at least three years since the Gurriel boys spent Father’s Day with their famous father, but none of the three could remember how long it had been.

“I’m very happy and very honored that I spent Father’s Day here playing against my little brother’s team,” Yuli said. “I’m very happy that we were all here together.”

“When you’re in baseball it’s very difficult to be together,” Lourdes Jr. added. “That’s why this day is so special. It’s something that I thank God for.”

The Gurriels know the baseball schedule rarely lines things up as perfectly as it did this year for the Gurriels and the Biggios, making it possible for Toronto teammates Lourdes Gurriel and rookie Cavan Biggio to be in Houston with their famous fathers.

With his parents Craig and Patty Biggio and siblings Conor and Quinn in attendance, Biggio got his first big league double Friday night in the same stadium where his Hall of Fame father played the final eight years of his 20-year career.

In many ways, the Biggios celebrated the type of homecoming Cuban fans would have loved back in Cuba. Cavan Biggio was greeted with cheers by his hometown crowd.

The Gurriel name carries the same weight in Cuba as the Biggio name does in Houston, where Craig’s No. 7 was retired soon after he finished his iconic career with 3,060 hits.

“It’s something that we’ve had since we were very little,” Lourdes Jr. said of the Gurriel expectations. “I think we’ve managed it well. Thank God we’ve had the results. We’re now both here in the big leagues, and I think it’s a dream come true.”

Realizing their good fortune, both Gurriel sons and their families gathered with their parents and other brother at Yuli’s home Saturday night for an early Father’s Day party.

The Gurriels’ entire immediate family and significant others flew in from Miami to spend Father’s Day weekend together at Yuli’s home.

“It’s a marvelous gift because in this moment the whole family is united,” the elder Gurriel said. “We’ve spent these past three days beautifully as a family. And today fundamentally as Father’s Day, it’s very, very emotional. From the heart, I feel very happy to have all of my family together.”

Featured Image: Houston Astros Instagram
Inset Images: La Vida Baseball