MANNY ACOSTA – Pitcher
Mother’s Name: Adela White
Hometown: Colon, Panama
“I remember my favorite food – that one she always makes every time I ask – rice with seafood. Whenever I go back home I call ahead and I ask for it. I say ‘Mami, I want you to make my favorite dish, the one you know I love,’ and when I arrive, my food is waiting for me.”
HENRY BLANCO – Catcher
Mother’s Name: Maria de Blanco
Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela
“They are many. I believe that love and affection and everything that she has taught us is unforgettable, and I hope God lets us enjoy her the way she has enjoyed us. There are many, many things that you remember with her not being here [in the States], and I will continue to remember.”
ALEX CORA – Second Baseman
Mother’s Name: Iris Amaro
Hometown: Caguas, Puerto Rico
“There isn’t one memory that stands out. My father passed away when I was 13 years old, so for the rest of my life she has been my everything. [She] is the person that I owe everything I have to, everything I am and everything that will come.”
FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ – Pitcher
Grandmother’s Name: Isabel Rodriguez
Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela
“My grandmother raised me . . . A beautiful memory? Every single one! I think that all of them because without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
RAUL VALDES – Pitcher
Mother’s Name: Josefina Gonzalez
Hometown: La Habana, Cuba
“I always call her and send her a gift [on Mother’s Day]. I remember that on that day we would always go out and play in the park. We would always have a family dinner.”
FERNANDO TATIS – First Baseman
Hometown: San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
“I wasn’t raised by my mother . . . My wife is an excellent mother and I can’t find the words to describe the way she is with our children . . . She is very affectionate with the children … the affection, the love and the respect that exists, for me, is incredible.”
ANGEL PAGAN – Outfielder
Mother’s Name: Gloria Figueroa
Hometown: Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
“She was the one who taught me how to play ball. She was my first manager. If there is anyone who I have to thank for leading me on the right path is my mom . . . She taught me how to bat, how to throw, and look where I am today.”
PEDRO FELICIANO – Pitcher
Mother’s Name: Eustacia Molina
Hometown: Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
“I think of her all the time. My mother, for giving me life is very special. She is an important figure in my life. She always prepares my favorite dish of rice, beans and tilapia and pasteles . . . I visit her skinny and return 100 pounds heavier!”
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DAVID WRIGHT – Third Baseman
Mother’s name: Elisa Wright
Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia
“She put her life on hold so that my brothers and I had everything we needed.”
