We might forget that major league ball players are just like you and me from time to time, but every once in a while there’s a reminder that it’s just not so. Adrian Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Dodgers issued one of those reminders last May.
There are times when a player may elect not to stay in the team hotel during road trip visits to another major league city. Usually, that choice revolves around family members who come to the same city to reunite with the player for a few days with the desire for some much needed quiet time and privacy.
That did not appear to be the case when Adrian Gonzalez, the starting first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, refused to stay in the team hotel, the Trump International Hotel and Tower, when the Dodgers visited Chicago in May.
When interviewed by the Press Telegram, Gonzalez offered a terse response when asked why he stayed in a separate hotel: “I didn’t stay there,” he said. “I had my reasons.”
Those reasons just might be that Trump has campaigned on a platform that includes promises to “build a wall” on the Mexico-U.S. border to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing, and has called Mexican immigrants “rapists” who bring crime and drugs with them.
Adrian Gonzalez Has Deep Ties to Mexico
According to the Press Telegram, although he was born in San Diego, Gonzalez grew up in Mexico where his family has deep roots and his father owns a business. Gonzalez has played for the Mexican national team in numerous international competitions including the World Baseball Classic. He has been involved in charitable endeavors in Mexico, including refurbishing the sports complex in Tijuana where he played as a youth. Just this summer, he stepped in to help a youth baseball team from Mexico that was stranded in Los Angeles when its sponsor backed out of its commitment.
Perhaps to avoid a unwanted distraction, the Dodgers stayed at a different hotel during their stay in Chicago while facing the Cubs in the NLCS. A team spokesman cited “logistical reasons” that led to this development, inferring that the move had nothing to do with Gonzalez.
It’s back to baseball tonight, though, as the NLCS resumes at Wrigley with the series tied at one apiece in a best-of-seven game series. The Cubs will send Jake Arrieta to the mound to face the Dodgers’ Rich Hill.
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Arrieta has been brilliant in his postseason appearances and has a 0.97 WHIP while winning two of his three decisions. Rich Hill struggled in two starts in the Division Series against Washington, managing a 6.43 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP.
The first pitch is scheduled for a bit past 8:00 PM ET and will be televised by FS1.