The USA takes on Mexico in the World Baseball Classic on Monday night at Daikin Park in Houston. Ahead of the game, Team USA third baseman Alex Bregman of the Chicago Cubs was asked a question by a reporter in Spanish. Bregman not only answered the question, but he did so in Spanish.
That shocked Team USA manager Mark DeRosa, who was alongside Bregman at the WBC press conference.
“Siento bien,” Bregman responded to the reporter. “Siento listo. Los fanáticos en Houston gustan béisbol mucho y yo también, y listo para un buen partido hoy.”
English translation: “I feel good. I feel ready. Houston fans like baseball a lot, and so do I. I’m ready for a good game today.”
“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish,” DeRosa told Bregman.
“I didn’t even know that,” DeRosa continued, as they each laughed.
Bregman, a three-time All-Star in the majors and a two-time World Series champion with the Houston Astros, made an effort to learn Spanish at a young age with his international travels in baseball, and especially once he got to the big leagues for Houston.
The language barrier can be a struggle with so much international talent coming to play Major League Baseball, and it’s great to see one player doing his part to learn Spanish to communicate with the Latin American players and media members, rather than putting all of that pressure on them to immediately learn English. That’s the sign of a great teammate, and someone who wants to do everything possible to help create a winning, welcoming environment in the organization.
After spending last season with the Boston Red Sox, Bregman signed a five-year, $175 million contract with the Cubs over the offseason.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.