Alou Felipe - Alou: my baseball journey

I love Felipe Alou.

Felipe is a treasure in my country, in the game of baseball, and, most important, in my heart.

When I was growing up in the Dominican Republic our history books instructed us on the story of the Alou brothers, especially Felipe. He was the first to go directly from our country to Major League Baseball ( MLB ). There were others who followed him from our soilJuan Marichal, Julin Javier, Manny Mota, and, of course, two other Alou brothers, Matty and Jess. But Felipe was the first. He paved the way. For those of us who followed him from our small island to the big leagues, Felipe was the light at the end of the tunnel.

Although the Alou brothers are in our countrys history books, I didnt need those books to know about them. I grew up hearing about the Alous from my parents, my uncles, and other grownups, about how three Dominican brothers occupied the same outfield for a Major League team. I also heard the stories about how my father played against Felipe when they were both young amateurs. The Alous are baseball royalty in my country. It started with them, with Felipe. If you trace the genes of baseball in the Dominican Republic, you will arrive at the name Alou.

Imagine, then, what I was thinking when I first got to know Felipe. Sometimes you meet somebody youve heard about your whole life and looked up to from a distance, and youre disappointed. Felipe was different. Felipe exceeded my expectations. He still does.

I was a Minor League pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization when Felipe selected me to play for the Dominican Republic team he was managing in the 1992 Caribbean Series. It was an honor, and I was surprised because I didnt even know he was aware of me, this scrawny kid who was trying to prove he belonged. Not only was Felipe aware of me, but he also saw in me the potential that would eventually take me to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. We were playing a game in Hermosillo, Mexico, during that Caribbean Series. I was pitching when there was a rain delay. It wasnt too long, maybe forty-five minutes. When it stopped raining and I headed back to the mound to pitch, Felipe stopped me.

No, no, no! he shouted. Wait a minute. I need to protect you. Youre too young. Im not going to have you waiting a long time and then have you go back out there. We need to protect you. Youre a top prospect.

I was stunned. Its very rare when you find someone who cares about you without really exchanging a word with you. But thats Felipe. Thats when I realized what kind of heart he has.

It was later when I learned what kind of head he has, when I had the privilege of playing for Felipe in the Major Leagues. It was a blessing Ill never forget. I did not anticipate that Felipe would come back into my life, but he did, and it was at a time early in my career when I was struggling with two thingsgetting people to believe me and getting people to believe in me.

I was twenty-two years old and had pitched two years for the Dodgers when they traded me to the Montreal Expos before the 1994 season. I felt at the time, and still do now, that the Dodgers gave up on me. I also know that Felipe, who was managing the Expos, had something to do with Montreal acquiring me. With the Dodgers I had yo-yoed back and forth between being a starting pitcher and a reliever, and it was difficult. I wanted to be a starter, but I didnt know what the Expos had in mind.

That first spring training, as soon as I got dressed in my uniform, I heard Felipes voice. Hey, Pedro, come into my office. Felipe was sitting at his desk, holding a baseball. Hey, listen. You see this ball? he said. This ball is for you. Youre my number-four starter. My number-four starter!

It startled me for a moment. Does this mean Im going to be a starting pitcher? I stammered.