Christian Vázquez and Machete Maldonado enter an exclusive group among Puerto Rican receivers

Houston. The catchers match in this American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox It does not represent the first time that two Puerto Rican receivers have met in a major league playoff series.

Martín “Machete” Maldonado, by the Astros, and Christian vazquez, for the Red Sox, are the starting receivers for these teams, who will meet tomorrow in the third game of the series, after a rest day yesterday and with hostilities tied 1-1.

At least in the Championship Series of this circuit Jorge Posada, then with the New York Yankees, and Sandy Alomar, Jr., with the Cleveland Indians, faced each other in the 1998 edition. Meanwhile, in the 2003 World Series and 2006, there were also repeated ‘matcheos’ by Puerto Ricans behind the plate, one of many proofs of the mastery of the backyard receivers and their worth in Major League baseball.

In 2003, Posada himself faced Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez in a Yankees uniform, who eventually won the Fall Classic title with the Florida Marlins at the time. Three years later, Rodríguez himself faced another Puerto Rican on the same stage of a World Series. Then with the Detroit Tigers, the current member of the Hall of Fame had as a counterpart the catcher of the St. Louis Cardinals, Yadier Molina, who placed his first championship ring in 2006.

In fact, Vázquez and Maldonado were also active for their respective teams in the 2018 Championship Series when Boston advanced and won the World Series.

With all that backstory, Maldonado and Vázquez are proud to continue perpetuating the legacy of Puerto Ricans as masters behind the rubber.

“It is something that fills me with pride because many young people in Puerto Rico are watching us. Many people follow Christian, and many people follow me. I think it gives them (young players) a little bit of motivation and inspiration, that if they work hard, they can achieve what we are doing. I think that what Christian has done in that team (Boston) and what I have done in this team, should serve as motivation to the people who are watching us, ”said Maldonado, cataloged mostly as a receiver that shines for his defense and it was arm.

In addition to friends, the rivals on the pitch have trained together in times of offseason and during the season they share knowledge about rivals in common. (Ram ?? n “Tonito” Zayas)

Vázquez, meanwhile, is a catcher with a good balance between defense and offense.

“We don’t text much because one doesn’t want to be bothering during the season, but I have more communication with Machete,” Christian Vázquez said about Maldonado, when asked at the beginning of this series about the fact that so many Puerto Ricans are playing together in a same scenario.

“We play together in Puerto Rico and we always ask ourselves about other teams, if we have a question from other teams. But yeah, we have a nice relationship, ”Vázquez added about Maldonado, who started his career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011, and already has 11 seasons of experience.

Christian Vazquez is having a great postseason offensively.
Christian Vazquez is having a great postseason offensively. (Ramón “Tonito” Zayas)

Winner of an American League Gold Glove with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, Maldonado went through various teams including Houston, Kansas City and the Chicago Cubs, before returning for the second time to the Astros in 2019.

This year he hit just .172 with 12 homers and 36 RBIs, but he again demonstrated his mastery at the plate by retiring 40% of opposing running backs.

Vázquez, who has been in the majors for seven seasons, after making his debut in 2014, hit .258 with six homers and 49 RBIs this year, and he has excelled in these playoffs, averaging .375 with one homer and four RBIs in the division series against the Rays from Tampa Bay.

Martín Maldonado is a key player for the Astros because of the way he handles pitchers.
Martín Maldonado is a key player for the Astros because of the way he handles pitchers. (Ram ?? n “Tonito” Zayas)

He has a World Series champion ring in 2018, when the Puerto Rican leader Alex Cora he was also crowned in his debut year as a manager.

“We always have communication. I wouldn’t say daily, but we do communicate quite a bit. We have a friendship, but when we are on the field each one of us wants to win. But we have a friendship… we have trained together, we have worked together and we have done things together. And not only with Christian, but with all Puerto Rican receivers. I think the idea of ​​this is to help each other for the future of each one of us, “concluded Maldonado.

.