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The bright lights of Globe Life Park are a long way from Adolis Garcia's hometown of Ciego de Avila, Cuba. However, as the Rangers star showed once again on Monday, he is not one to forget the past.
On Monday, the Texas Rangers slugger was his team's sole representative at the Home Run Derby, which took palce on Monday at Globe Life Park. After hitting 18 home runs, Garcia failed to advance to the next round. However, in his comments after the game, the Cuban thanked one of the first friends he met in pro baseball after defecting from his homeland in 2016.
When Adolis Garcia first fled Cuba, he originally signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's NPB. At a press conference after the game, Garcia remembered one of the players, Hisayoshi Chonu, with great admiratio, as he told Japanese-language outlet Full Count:
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"I learned a lot about observing discipline in Japan. Chono is my best friend. I was able to build a good relationship with him when I was over there. He took good care of me. It's been 8 years since I left the Giants, but I was grateful to outfielder Hisayoshi Chono."
Although Garcia only competed in four games for the Giants in 2016, it was enough time for the current Texas Rangers slugger to meet Hisayoshi Chono. Apparently, the two remain friends, and Garcia credits Chono, who played for the Giants from 2010 until 2018, as a positive influence in his career.
Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernandez evenutally walked out of the Home Run Derby as the winner. However, with his team now five games behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, Adolis Garcia knows that a lot of work remains to be done between now and the end of September.
"Adolis Garcia showed off his power... but ended up with 18. #HomeRunDerby" - World Baseball Network
Adolis Garcia waves flag for hometown crowd in Texas
Though he was unsuccessful, Garcia was likely the most applauded player at the Derby. Celebrated by a mixture of local Texas Rangers fans, as well as the Cuban diaspora, Garcia was disappointed he could not bring home the win, saying after:
"I was very excited, and I also felt the deep love of the fans. I'm sorry I couldn't respond to the results, but it was fun"
It has indeed been some time since Garcia played in Japan. However, it is encouraging to think that the lessons he learned during the early days of his pro career outside of Cuba are still helping him move forward.
