Osuna thrives despite anxiety off the field

By César Augusto Márquez

His workout done, Roberto “Chufo” Osuna retired to the clubhouse at Francisco I. Madero Stadium in Saltillo, Mexico, to ice his right shoulder. It was during warmups before an afternoon game in 1997, no different than most other days. Suddenly, he heard a roar from the stands. He went back outside to take a look, never expecting to see what was unfolding in front of him.

The crowd was cheering his son Robertito. Just 2 years old, he had sneaked onto the field. There he was, running around the bases and going to the mound to imitate a pitcher.

“That’s where it all started. He grew up among the big boys,” Roberto Sr. says today.

Raised in Ballparks

Robertito sure grew up. Now 22, not only is he a major leaguer with the Toronto Blue Jays, but an All-Star — voted the American League Reliever of the Month in June — and one of the best closers around. With 34 saves through Aug. 27, he’s closing on his personal record of 36.

So many have dreamt of making The Show. Roberto Jr., tall and sturdy with a heavy four-seam fastball and a slider that freezes you at the knees, made his dream come true.

“I was practically raised in ballparks,” he said in Spanish in an interview with La Vida Baseball in late July. “Ever since I was a kid, I would go with my father to the park and admire how he took the mound, how aggressively he played every time he stepped on the field. We’re both alike like that. That’s what I try to do also.”

Seeing his toddler on the mound back in 1997, Roberto Sr. realized right then that despite the kid’s age and whatever the cost, he should nurture his son’s dreams.

“Back when I played, the salaries in the Mexican League weren’t very high,” Roberto Sr. said in Spanish in a separate interview with La Vida Baseball. “With a lot of sacrifice, we were able to buy him his first glove. We knew he was talented and that we had to inspire him.

“I always took him with me to the ballpark. And he would always do the same drills we did. He started out as a power-hitting first baseman, but when he turned 7, he began pitching.”

Family First

Roberto Jr. was born and raised in Juan José Ríos, an agricultural town in northern Sinaloa, Mexico, that is surrounded by fertile fields of corn, beans and tomatoes not too far from one of the epicenters of drug cartel activity. Baseball and farming provided something of a safe haven which, along with his appetite for hard work, allowed Roberto Jr.’s passion for the game to take root. When he was barely 11, he dropped out of school to help his father work in the fields and support the family.

“Roberto has always been a very mature fellow,” Roberto Sr. said. “When he had to help out, he did it without hesitation. He’s always put his family first.

“But he’s also been very independent. When he was 12, he represented Mexico in a tournament in Japan and, later, in Italy. And the following year, he went to Cuba. From an early age, his mother and I instilled in him the confidence to be his own person.”

Confidence to face imposing sluggers like the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge. On July 5, Roberto Jr. took the mound at Yankee Stadium in the bottom of the ninth in a one-run game. He got the first two batters out, allowed a single to Brett Gardner and then took a deep breath. At the plate was Judge, who earlier in the game had hit his 29th home run of the season, tying Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio’s Yankees rookie record.

Roberto Jr. thought of his father. Of the days spent at the ballpark watching him pitch. Of the need to be assertive and aggressive. And then he went to work, righty against righty. Judge fouled off the first pitch. Swung through the second. Then came two straight balls. Judge slowly waved his bat, most probably anticipating a fastball. Osuna’s slider broke down and away, striking out Judge to save the game.

“I’ve always wanted to live moments like these,” Roberto Jr. said. “When I decided to stick to pitching, I also decided that I wanted to be a closer and be in close games, facing dangerous batters.”

Despite his young age, Roberto Jr. is already in his third season as a full-time closer with the most appropriate moniker: “No Panic.” While he has blown eight saves, by other metrics, he’s been worthy of his 2017 All-Star selection. And at times, he’s been untouchable, sporting a microscopic 0.90 WHIP and 11.9 K/9 through Aug. 27.

Pitching through Anxiety

Possibly his biggest save came in late June, when he admitted to suffering from anxiety, that he felt lost off the field and was unable to pitch.

“This has nothing to do with me being on the field, I feel great out there,” Osuna said at the time through Blue Jays translator Josue Peley. “It’s just when I’m out of baseball, when I’m not on the field, that I feel weird and a little bit lost.”

While the team’s mental coach worked with Osuna, one of the first calls Roberto Jr. made was to his father, who was in Monterrey working as the pitching coach for the Triple-A Mexican League Sultans.

“Dad, please come, because I need you here,” Roberto Jr. told Roberto Sr.

“The moment I heard his voice, I knew something wasn’t right,” Roberto Sr. said. “I talked to Lupe, his mother and the person closest to him, and told her we had to go. I know my son and realized that he needed our support. Thanks to the Lord, it hasn’t affected him on the field. He’s still throwing strikes. But I feel that our presence has helped him.”

More and more athletes are opening up about mental health issues, but it’s still remarkable how open Roberto Jr. has been about his condition and how well he has continued to pitch throughout his ordeal. Instead of taking prescription medication, Osuna said that the Blue Jays and his family have supported him through therapy sessions.

“Just talking to people,” Roberto Jr. told the Los Angeles Times last week. “Just going through that and accepting that is a problem, and learning how to control it.”

Parents’ helping hand

Then again, it’s not the first time his parents have come to the rescue and helped him gain the proper perspective. Early on in his minor league career, Roberto Jr. underwent elbow surgery and feared his career was over. This time it was Mom who took the lead, telling him, “Don’t worry. You will recover and you will make something of your life.”

An All-Star selection is worth something. Roberto Jr. is just the 22nd Mexican to earn that honor. Barring injury, he’s bound to earn many more. His father — the role model and pitching coach — is never too far away.

“Every time he feels something’s wrong mechanically, he sends me videos and I tell him what I think he’s doing wrong,” Roberto Sr. said.

It’s a tight-knit family. In the days leading up to the All-Star Game in Miami, Roberto Jr. — the first of four children — played the role of older brother, leading around his 18-year-old sister Ramona Angélica and the 14-year-old twins Pedro and Tadeo. Pedro is a third baseman and Tadeo a centerfielder, but watch out, because both boys also pitch.

“The Lord gave us a beautiful family,” Roberto Sr. said. “Roberto has been an exemplary son and great brother.”

In Toronto, they are certainly nodding their heads, adding, “And one tough closer, too.”

Featured Image: Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images Sport