A player’s mom throwing the first pitch at an MLB game, what a sweet story. Add to it the fact that her day at the mound is the first time that she has seen her son play in the big leagues, the story is worthy of a tissue dab to the corner of both eyes. Randy Arozarena’s mom, Sandra Gonzalez, turned her heartfelt moment in the spotlight into a showcase. She walked up to the top of the mound and threw the ball like a prospect prior to Game 1 of Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays.
There are people who brick the opening pitch when they throw it from the front of the dirt. Sandy put her feet on the rubber and beamed the ball right across home plate without even taking a full stride. She tossed it so casually that I’m led to believe she can bring some heat with a 4-seamer.
While Randy has been in the MLB for five years, his mother has not been able to see him play. He defected from Cuba in 2015 and established residence in Mexico where he became a citizen in 2022. Arozarena played for his new home country during the World Baseball Classic this past spring.
His mother got to Mexico in 2017, but had not been able to obtain a visa to see her son play in the United States until her most recent attempt. Since she had finally found success, there was no one better to open the Rays’ 2023 postseason than the person who clearly gave Randy a gift to play the game. I’m curious to see how Sandra would fare at the plate in a pre-game batting practice session.
Maybe at next year’s home run derby, she can come back to the states, and pitch for her son. She clearly has the arm and control to do it, and the bright lights of a playoff crowd did not faze her one bit.
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