9-News 38.006 – Sunshine’s On Indy’s Shoulder
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 11:23 am
Amid the buzz of YS9’s signing of Alfredo Salazar, fans could be forgiven missing news that the club has also added Hall of Fame hitter Emilio “Sunshine” Rodriguez to its staff, hiring him as the team’s AAA instructor.
“I missed baseball,” Rodriguez said in a Four Bases interview. “It’s a game that gets into you, you know? I was sitting home and going crazy so my wife finally said I should get out and do something.” That “something” was commercials and some limited broadcasting, which, by his own admission was lacking. “Mostly I just broke down the swings of all the guys I watched. Nobody wanted to hear it.”
“It made sense, though,” said booth partner Kelli Mowran. “Emilio understands hitting, and his mind is really analytical. He explains things well, too, I learned a lot just sitting beside him.”
As luck would have it, Sanchez might owe his job to Mowran and a bit of synchronicity. The broadcast journalist was in the process of interviewing YS9 assistant GM Phillip Watson, when he mentioned the opening in Indianapolis. She told Watson that Sanchez would be great for the role, and the rest is history. At 42, Sanchez will join ex-Nine ace Alberto Sanchez to coach the downforce.
“I faced Alberto a lot of times,” Sanchez reminisced. “It will be great to work with him.”