Eduardo Morán
He thought about the roller coaster ride that had been Opening Day. He thought about the front row seat that he had when first Eduardo González and later Pedro Huerta launched their historic 500th home runs. But his thoughts kept going back to the game last week when he had a two-out game winning hit to walk it off. The sellout crowd had gone crazy. It was the biggest moment of his career. He would never forget it.
He loved the Blazers clubhouse, with the professionalism of the old timers blended with a real family atmosphere that extended to the coaching staff. Every time that he had jogged out to that expanse of perfectly manicured outfield grass, he felt a thrill like it was his first time. This place was special. He was going to miss it.
He couldn’t fault the organization. He’d lost a step in the field. His bat wasn’t as quick as it used to be. He had finally gotten his batting average back to the Mendoza Line in his last game before he was summoned to the manager’s office to receive the bad news. José Leyva had finished his rehab stint in New Jersey. They would swap places.
He didn’t know if he would be invited back. He doubted it.