New York Mets manager Luis Rojas comes from one of baseball’s greatest families, which means he’s been around the game since he was a kid.
On the latest episode of SNY’s “Cookie Club” podcast, New York Mets manager Luis Rojas told a story from his childhood. Rojas had been ejected from a minor league dugout at just seven years old. He said the experience was “one of the most embarrassing days of my early life.”
Rojas’ father, Felipe Alou, was the manager of the West Palm Expos at the time. He took his sons Luis and Felipe to the ballpark for a game. They needed to run around the field, hit, field, and even sit in the dugout during the matchup. This is until the young Luis started running his mouth.
“So, I was just in the dugout watching the team,” Rojas said. “The other team, they were just beating us and everyone, I don’t know how many straight strikeouts the opposing pitcher had at the time, so I started yelling at our own hitters. Next thing I know, my dad is looking at us, like ‘Go to my office.’ He locked us off for the rest of the game, in front of all the players.”
There’s good and bad in this story. The good news is that it shows that even from a young age, Rojas had certain expectations from players. He wanted the best and was going to let them hear it if he wasn’t seeing it. That’s a trait that any manager should possess.
The bad is that Rojas made a fool of himself. One of the most important lessons that we learn at a young age is how to act in a situation where you aren’t in charge. In front of future major league ballplayers, Rojas was taught that lesson, and the embarrassing moment likely hammered it home.