Enriquito! ESPN’s Rojas has pulse of Dominican baseball

Whether you’re in the Dominican Republic with ESPN’s Enrique Rojas during winter-league games or at a Major League Baseball stadium with him, you will usually hear a star from the Dominican Republic cry out, “Enriquito.”

The nickname is a nod to both his diminutive size and his larger than life place in the hearts of Dominican ballplayers, an almost familial bond with the most respected baseball journalists from the Dominican Republic.

Whether he’s working on a feature or tracking down a player for a story on a controversial subject, the majority of the players from the Dominican Republic greet the ESPN reporter as a trusted journalist who will be fair. In him, they see somebody who not only knows where they came from but also cares about telling their stories truthfully with cultural and Dominican sensibilities.

I learned this firsthand in February 2008 when I found myself in the Dominican on assignment to write a feature on Miguel Tejada shortly after the Justice Department opened an investigation on the former American League MVP.

I saw Rojas at the hotel and then essentially followed him around, watching with great admiration as every door opened to us as we traveled around the country at multiple winter ball stadiums in search of Tejada. We interviewed Tejada at the stadium and then were summoned to meet him off the field later.

Everywhere we went, players would cry out, “Enriquito” and then come to him to chat. His network of contacts is among the best in baseball journalism in terms of Dominican Republic stars, but he’s also widely respected among players from all of Latin America.

Whether it’s Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez and Vladimir Guerrero or a kid who just reached the majors this year, you can count on Rojas having their contact information. Whether it’s former big leaguers Tony Pena, Felipe Alou and Manny Acta or younger Dominican coaches in the minors, they all know Enriquito.

The ESPN Deportes’ legendary baseball writer sat down for a Q&A with La Vida Baseball to discuss his career and Dominican baseball.

Jose de Jesus Ortiz: How did you get into baseball writing?

Enrique Rojas: I began writing notes by hand since elementary school. I had a notebook in which I’d write about baseball figures and situations. Basically, I began to prepare myself to write about baseball since Little League, about 10 or 11 years old.

JO: How was baseball part of your life growing up in the Dominican Republic?

ER: Baseball is everything. One would study the entire week to wait until Saturday and Sunday to be able to play baseball. Then I’d talk about baseball, play board games related to baseball and I’d read about baseball.

JO: You are one of the most respected baseball journalists from Latin America, especially among Dominican ballplayers. What has been the key to your success?

ER: I think that when you are in an activity for a long time, people begin to identify you with what you do. I couldn’t say exactly what has been the key to be doing what I do and I also wouldn’t dare to self assess, but what I will say is that I’ve always tried to count on the truth, including in moments when doing so would look for a serious problem.

JO: Do you remember your first time attending a big league game? When/Where was it?

ER: The first time I went to a big league stadium was as a reporter on August 1995 at Yankee Stadium for a series between the Cleveland Indians and Yankees. I cannot forget the date because Mickey Mantle died that same weekend when I was at Yankee Stadium. By that time I had already worked for a good time in Dominican Republic media, but it was the first time I covered a game in MLB. Cleveland had a great team with many Dominican players while the Yankees were good but out of first place. Being in the old Yankee Stadium left a huge impression. I knew every corner of the stadium and all the Yankees’ history although I never had been in the Bronx.

JO: In your travels to Latin America, how have you seen baseball bring communities together?

ER: Baseball is an essential element of the culture in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Cuba, Panama and a great part of Colombia and Mexico, among others. Baseball has played a decisive role to maintain people united in many moments in the history of those countries.

JO: Who have been some of the more interesting baseball players you have interviewed?

ER: Felipe Alou. It’s as though you’d enter a conference on life each time you have an opportunity to talk to the great Felipe Alou. Throughout my career I’ve had a chance to speak with the majority of the best Latino players of all time, and the experience with Felipe is unique for many reasons.

JO: Is there a moment in your life that you consider pivotal in your eventual career path?

ER: I think that would be 1994. That year I was given a contract as a regular reporter for the newspaper Ultima Hora to comment on television and also as the first sports reporter that the Associated Press had in the Dominican Republic. All those things happened within a few months in 1994 in the year of baseball’s last strike. There’s still an interview out there that I did with Pedro Martinez while he played softball in Santo Domingo during the strike.

JO: What advice would you give young people who want to follow in your footsteps?

ER: The world has changed a lot since I started my career and communication has advanced greatly. But one thing remains the same: journalists must protect our credibility. It’s the only thing we have.

JO: What would you consider the biggest moment of your career?

ER: I’ve had a pair of good moments, excluding the bucket of water Yasiel Puig threw at me during last postseason, but for some reason I cannot forget the Manny Ramirez and Boston Red Sox drama during the summer of 2008 that ended with his trade to the Dodgers. But I repeat, there are many really good things that have happened to me throughout these years.

JO: You voted for the Hall of Fame for the first time last year. What did the Hall of Fame vote mean for you?

ER: It was the greatest dream that I could have. I wrote baseball notes on my notebook at school since I was 12 years old. I really wanted to be a baseball reporter and writer. And to suddenly be on the jury that picks the Hall of Fame is like the realization of all those dreams. I think I’m a blessed man.

JO: In your mind, who have been the five most significant Dominican players of your lifetime, and why?

ER:

1. Felipe Alou: The first great star and then the first MLB manager from the Dominican. Felipe is Mr. Baseball in the Dominican.
2. Pedro Martínez: He was one of the best pitchers in history and a member of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
3. Sammy Sosa: Possibly the player who has promoted the Dominican Republic the most in a moment of his career. In his moment, Sammy got to be one of the most famous humans of his land.
4. Albert Pujols: A very special ballplayer, citizen, father and human. He’s one of the best players of all time and a future member of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
5. David Ortiz: Few Dominican ballplayers have been celebrated in a foreign community like Boston has with Big Papi. He’s an extraordinary person who has been recognized equally for being a great batter and ballplayer and renowned for his work that his foundation does saving poor children with heart conditions.

Thanks to Enrique for sharing his journey with us. Be sure to follow him on Twitter.

Featured Image: Courtesy Enrique Rojas

Inset Images: Courtesy Enrique Rojas