Clinic at baseball, softball field causes Padres stars to recall meeting big-leaguers when they were young
The roads neighboring Liga Infantil de Beisbol Olmeca A.C., a youth complex in a modest cranny of the world’s fifth most populous city, form the lively front porch for a place far removed from the palaces of money-soaked Major League Baseball.
Padres relief pitcher Tim Hill jokes with a kid during a clinic Friday at Liga Infantil de Beisbol Olmeca A.C in Mexico City.early this season, vitriolic criticism of stars struggling to deliver on massive contracts and the business end of baseball were benched. Designated hitter Nelson Cruz traveled back as he recalled his first run-in with a decorated big-leaguer. He was 20 when he met slugger Vladimir Guerrero, a Hall of Famer from Cruz’s native Dominican Republic.“It was a dream come true,” Cruz said. “He was my idol. I wanted to be like Vladdy. I felt like a little kid, even though I was 20. I always remember that moment. When I meet kids, I want to give all the time and energy I can so they have the experience I had.
“At Cubs spring training, we got Moises Alou and Dusty Baker,” said Wacha, who became an NLCS MVP for the rival Cardinals. “We were so excited. That’s what it’s all about for kids at something like this.”Everywhere pitcher Joe Musgrove moved, a living, breathing halo of waist-high kids followed. One, scrambling for something to sign, peeled off a dusty sneaker and handed it sock-footed to the man towering above.
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