Who is bengie molinas brother

Until then youngsters on the island were signed as free agents. Although Bengie had been invited and participated in several major-league tryouts during the year and was a pitcher, outfielder, and infielder, he was not among those selected. One bright spot that summer was that he took his first trip from the island. They won the regionals held in Arkansas and moved onto Oregon to compete against other regional winners. The team got to the championship game but lost. Molina led the tournament in RBIs and stolen bases.

He struggled in adjusting to college and the difference in climate. Although there were Puerto Rican players at the school, he had pangs of homesickness and loneliness.

He also had to learn the English language. Nonetheless he persevered. As for baseball, he also had to learn a new key role. The Arizona Western roster had a dearth of shortstops. When one of the players from Puerto Rico informed Matadors coach John Stratton that Molina had played middle infield, Stratton asked the originally slated outfielder if he would switch to shortstop.

Molina readily agreed. In his first season, out of 14 freshmen, the team voted Molina Rookie of the Year. In late May , Molina went home to await the amateur draft.

Its season ran from January to June with playoffs in July. The first week in June the player draft was conducted, but once again he remained undrafted.

Molina returned to Arizona Western. At the end of his second season with the Matadors, Bengie had a. He had been named All-Conference. The team voted him its MVP. On June 1, , the major-league amateur draft commenced. Bengie was living, working, and playing semipro baseball in Puerto Rico, and for a third time he was passed over and remained unselected.

He chose not to return to Arizona Western that fall. Northern Alabama had made an overture to him but the scholarship offering fell through. Molina was finished playing baseball at the NCAA level.

His personal life took center stage. As a freshman, Bengie had met a young woman, also a freshman, who had sparked his interest. The wedding took place in December Bengie and his bride resided in San Luis. He took a job as a migrant field worker picking cauliflower in Yuma from sunrise to sunset. After the harvest, Molina worked at a Jack-in-the-Box fast-food restaurant located in his former college town handling the midnight-to-8 shift.

And the two would then return home together to Mexico to start the same routine all over again the very next day. Any down time Molina had, he did play baseball. He got a factory job, played Double-A baseball and attended weekly pro tryouts. By May he led the circuit in RBIs and was among the top five in home runs and batting average. But in late May he told his wife that his baseball career was over. The years of being passed over swelled his emotions raw. In a symbolic act, Molina took his blue Pony baseball spikes, knotted the shoelaces together, and tossed the pair over some tangled power lines.

Plans were that the couple would return to Yuma. He would take a job as a farm worker and study computers. Fate intervened. But his brother would not relent and Bengie acquiesced.

The Puerto Rican scout waved her off. But the American scout told Bengie to return at P. His brothers were catchers. Bengie had never caught before, but without hesitation, he took the glove from the scout got into position and threw. I only wanted to be a part of the Big Show. He was managed by Bill Lachemann , who accrued six seasons as a minor-league catcher in the Dodgers organization. Molina received direct instructions about the finer techniques of being behind the dish by fellow Puerto Rican and an eight-season big-league catcher, coach Orlando Mercado , and by coach John McNamara , who had spent 14 minor-league seasons, initially with the St.

Louis Cardinals farm system as a receiver. In 27 games, Molina batted. At the plate, Molina had a. He returned to Puerto Rico, resumed playing, and a scout from the Brewers scheduled a tryout. Why on earth didn't he go to the tryout? Because that was the day he discovered Bengie's mother was pregnant. With Bengie. Bengie is crushed by the revelation. It was easier thinking Pai had failed then to think he threw away his dream for us. The friend responds "that man did exactly what he wanted.

Don't you feel sorry for him. Months later, when Molina's wife is pregnant with their first child together, he realizes what the friend meant. His father "never craved conventional success. He measured his worth in his own way Baseball delivered to this quiet and introspective man a means of connecting to his sons and to other people's sons That's why his father became distant as Molina's career developed.

He knew his son's marriage was ailing. The prospect of divorce enraged him. You don't break up a family. Divorce stole from his mother the siblings he'd never met. Once he was able to see how Bengie's daughters were so happy and loved in their new home, he relented. Molina took the framed portrait of his father surrounded by players and family members back home from the funeral. He'd carry it with him to every game the rest of his playing career.

He began working extensively with players in a youth league , and partnered with Joan Ryan to write a book about his dad. Of all the jobs on a baseball field, we found the one that positioned us at a spot called home. Our job was to protect it. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. The Amazing Molina Family New, 8 comments. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Bengie's debut was in Arlington. He thought the stadium looked "like a fortress. But this photo isn't from that game. Louis Cardinals. Bengie and Jose did it together as members of the Anaheim Angels , and Yadier with the Cardinals.

Molina was also part of baseball history on September 21 , , when he became the last player ever to hit a home run at the original Yankee Stadium. Molina was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 14th round of the amateur draft. Molina's first major league team was the Cubs, for which he played 10 games in He joined the then-Anaheim Angels in as a free agent , but played only a handful of games before establishing himself during the season as the Angels backup catcher for his brother, Bengie.

In , Molina hit a career-best six home runs, and tied his career-high with 25 RBI , as he hit. Mathis struggled during the first month of the season, however, and was demoted to the minor leagues.

Molina himself then struggled offensively, and the promising offensive performance of Mathis' replacement on the roster, rookie Mike Napoli , once again relegated Molina to the role of backup catcher.