CLEVELAND – Once adversaries, Eddie Rosario and Indians manager Terry Francona are now allies.
The Puerto Rican player spent the last six seasons punishing Cleveland pitchers with his hits. When he decided to leave the ranks of the Minnesota Twins, he opened the door to an unexpected moment.
This week, he appeared sitting with Francona in preseason training in Arizona for the first time. And the pilot gave a warm welcome to the gardener and slugger.
“I told him it’s good not to have to hate him anymore,” Francona joked.
Able to land high and low pitches, Rosario tormented Cleveland when he was with the Twins. He hit .353 with 11 homers, 12 doubles and three triples during games at Progressive Field, his new home.
In no other park outside Rosario had better numbers.
The 29-year-old was declared a free agent in the winter. He signed a one-year, $ 8 million contract in December with the Indios, a team he regularly faced and that urgently needed to regain power in its lineup after the departure of Puerto Rican shortstop Francisco Lindor and Dominican slugger Carlos Santana.
Francona won’t feel tense now when he sees Rosario in the batter’s box.
“It just seemed like you were always capable of causing a disaster,” he recalled. “Now go ahead and destroy whatever you want. We will cheer you on and pat you on the back. We will laugh at that. You seem to be a good boy and we are excited that you are here. “
Rosario is genuinely excited to join the Indians, who finished a game behind Minnesota last year in the AL Central.
It is a new beginning, which at the same time seems familiar.
“I played a lot against this club,” Rosario said. “I love playing at Progressive Field in Cleveland. I love the stadium and I hit well here. I see the ball very well and I like the team. I have a couple of friends here and I’m happy to be here ”.
Por Tom Withers | Associated Press
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