A Different Kind of Cathedral

Today is the birthday of four-time Gold Glove winning outfielder César Gerónimo, born March 11th, 1948 in El Seibo, Domonican Republic.

Cesár Gerónimo’s father was not home the night he was born. A car service driver, he spent most of his time making the three and a half hour drive back and forth between his town of El Seibo and Santo Domingo. One day early in 1948, instead of rushing home to his expectant wife, Geronimo Sr. stayed in the capital to watch the Dodgers play Montreal. 

When he finally returned home, greeted by his newborn son, he made a prediction: the kid would grow up to be a ballplayer.

Yet, years later, his parents had envisioned a different future for him. Encouraging him to enter the priesthood, they sent him to a Catholic seminary at just 12 years old. He’d later say that he enjoyed seminary, but knew that if he became a priest, he’d never be able to live out his dream as a baseball player. So, after five years, he left. 

Two years later, after tryouts with the Mets and Yankees, he joined the Yankees Organization and began playing in Rookie leagues. 

Though he lacked true hitting power, his strong arm and graceful fielding drew praise. He eventually landed with the Reds, where he became a key piece of the Big Red Machine’s defense. During his nine years in Cincinnati, he won four consecutive Gold Gloves and in some seasons, didn’t commit a single error. He helped Cincinnati win back-to-back championships, catching the final out of the 1975 World Series against the Red Sox. But despite his defensive excellence, his hitting never impressed. Somehow, he managed to be both the 3,000th strikeout victim of both Bob Gibson and Nolan Ryan. 

Geronimo was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2008 and lives in Santo Domingo with his family.

MLB News

Juice, Leather & Bad Breaks

• Doctor’s Orders – Spring training helps give a sense of shape to the coming season — for both the better, and in Gerrit Cole’s case, the worse. The AL Cy Young Award Winner announced late Monday that he’ll likely be facing Tommy John surgery, and could be out for up to a year.

• Hot Stove’s Still Hot – Over the past 15 years, half of all contract extensions are decided between February and April. Tim Britton at The Athletic gives his rundown on what to expect.

• American Made – CBS Saturday morning went into the Nokona factory in Nocona, Texas to take a look at how the nearly 100-year old company manages to produce 100% American-made baseball gloves.

• Mo Vaughn Admits to Using HGH – The Hall of Famer and former Red Sox, Angles, and Mets slugger admitted to using the drug, banned in 2005, in an interview with Ken Rosenthal. It’s the first time he’s confirmed information disclosed in the 2007 Mitchell Report.

• Speaking of Juicing – Barry Bonds talked a big game about still being able to hit 100 MPH pitches during a podcast interview. The consensus on the internet? Yeah, man can still hit.

On This Day

Earth Shaking

• 1933 — The Loma Prieta earthquake isn’t the only one to disrupt a ball game. On this day in 1933, an earthquake struck the Los Angeles area during an exhibition game between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Giants. Players from both teams gathered at the center of the diamond until the tremors ceased.