Ricardo Rodriguez
and José Garcia: Episode 3
Ricardo is being groomed for the Major Leagues,
but José's future is uncertain after
disappointing performances land him back in
Great Falls for a second season of Rookie
League Baseball. His conversion to a pitcher
has been unsuccessful, so the organization
is giving him another shot as a position player
and he is playing better. José also
has trouble at home, where his host parents,
Ole and Marie, are suspicious when he becomes
seriously involved with a young woman who
is Mormon.
As the season winds up, Ricardo stays in the
U.S. to pitch in the Minor League All-Star
game in Seattle. He is impressive in the televised
game.
José returns to the Dominican Republic
during the off-season, where Ramon Martinez
is staying with José's family after
being acquitted of sexual assault in Montana.
Even though Ramon was declared innocent of
the crime, his worst fears were realized when
he was deported immediately after his release
from prison. The Dodgers have dropped him
and he has been unable to sign with another
team.
"The only thing I was afraid of was being
deported," says Ramon, "but the
Dodgers gave me a good lawyer and they told
me it wasn’t going to happen. I think
they could have given me another opportunity.
I trained in this camp for three years and
I lost it all in one heap. It’s painful
to lose it all so quickly, especially if you
are poor."
José's life in America grows even more
complicated when he becomes serious with an
American woman in Georgia. It's José's
third season with a Minor League team. This
summer, he’s playing with the Single-A
Georgia Waves, still three levels below the
majors. As José grows older and fails
to progress in the Minor Leagues, his chances
at the Major Leagues get slimmer.
After three years playing in the Dodgers’
Minor League organization, Ricardo Rodriguez
is suddenly traded to the Cleveland Indians
Double-A team. Barely three weeks later, he
gets the call he’s been waiting for
his whole life. The Cleveland Indians want
him to start as a pitcher—in the Majors.
"I feel so happy because that’s
the team that I want to play for," Ricardo
tells reporters in the locker room after his
first game. "I want to spend a long time
here. When I came here, before I got on the
plane, I thought, I have one mission to do:
work hard and do the best I can to try and
get the support for my family."
Learn
more about the Dominican Republic and baseball
>
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| Ricardo in
one of his first Major League games with the
Cleveland Indians |
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| José
in the dugout |
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