CHICAGO — Francisco Reyes was a shop owner by day and softball ringer by night. The 6-foot man never played baseball growing up in the Dominican Republic, yet he was feared in high-stakes softball games across the region.
Teams were willing to even pay him to play, and he used his powerful right-handed bat to supplement his family's income. He didn't have to travel far for games, either. There was a field a few blocks away from his home. No matter the location, he'd bring his son, Pablo, beginning when the boy was 4 years old.
Francisco would pitch to his son and hit him ground balls. Then, Pablo would watch from the stands as his father hammered pitch after pitch. That, the son recalled at his corner locker stall inside Wrigley Field, was where his passion for the game was born. The elder Reyes taught his son to swing at any pitch in the strike zone, no matter how high or what velocity. That advice was heeded throughout Pablo's trek through the minor leagues and, finally, upon fulfilling a dream his father never thought was attainable.
Reyes, listed at 5-foot 8 and 170 pounds, was told repeatedly he was too short to play the sport, let alone reach the majors. Yet, there he was Tuesday night, starting in right field and hitting a three-run homer to help the Pirates beat the Cubs, 6-0. That improved their record to 80-76 and prevented an announced crowd of 33,443 from celebrating a playoff berth.
"My dad told me not to think about signing with any team because, 'I don’t think you can play,'" Reyes, a 25-year-old utility man, told DKPittsburghSports.com. "He told me to quit playing. 'You’re too short and too little. You don’t have any power or anything like that.' That was frustrating for me. It was my dream. I wanted to follow it. Nobody thought I could do this."
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