The Arizona Diamondbacks’ schedule presented an early-season gift to players who enjoy visiting New York on Monday: a day off in the city.
For veteran pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, the day brought a trip to Central Park — and an unexpected gift for one fan. Rodriguez posted a video to his Instagram account Monday of a game of catch he played with a man who brought his glove to the park.
Rodriguez wrote on his account: “This is why I love this sport!!! Day of in New York we went to Central Park just searching for a spot to play catch and we find this guy who just want to show us his skills we end up give him the baseball that we play catch with and he say we make his day but to me he make our day 👏👏🫡🫡🙏🙏”
Members of the Babe Ruth Little League look on as they are recognized onfield during a pre-game ceremony as Eduardo Rodriguez #57 of the Boston Red Sox warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 7, 2021 at Fenway Park in Boston.
Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images
Rodriguez is scheduled to start Tuesday at Citi Field when the Arizona Diamondbacks play the New York Mets.
The 32-year-old left-hander is 1-2 with a 4.40 ERA in five starts to begin the new season.
More news: MLB News: Hall of Fame Outfielder Suffers Stroke
Rodriguez was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela in 2010. Four years later, he was still a minor league prospect when he was traded by the O’s to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher Andrew Miller at the 2014 trade deadline.
Rodriguez would go on to win a World Series championship with Boston in 2018. He made 159 of the 217 appearances in his major league career for the Red Sox from 2015-21.
More news: All-Star Red Sox Outfielder Retires, Joins ESPN as Analyst
In Nov. 2021, the Detroit Tigers signed Rodriguez to a five-year, $77 million contract as a free agent. He would spend the next two seasons in Detroit, going 18-14 with a 3.58 ERA.
After the 2023 season, Rodriguez exercised the opt-out clause in his contract and became a free agent again.
More news: Orioles Outfielder, First From His Country to Reach MLB, Dies at 59
In Dec. 2023, Arizona finalized a four-year, $80 million contract with Rodriguez, bolstering a rotation that led the Diamondbacks to a surprising National League pennant before losing in the World Series to the Texas Rangers.
Rodriguez’s first season in Phoenix was somewhat of a disappointment. He was limited to 10 starts due to a left shoulder injury and went 3-4 with a 5.04 ERA.
Now Rodriguez is still looking to prove he regain his pre-injury form. In the meantime, he’s still having fun playing baseball — and not merely with his teammates.
For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
发表回复