By José Alejandro Rodríguez Zas
The Cuban player Yoenis Cespedes He played his last game in the Major Leagues, at least for the moment, on the first day of August of last year 2020, when his New York Mets team faced the Atlanta Braves, at Truist Park in the city of Atlanta, Georgia.
That day, Cespedes was ranked sixth man and designated hitter in the Mets’ line up and went 4-0 with two strikeouts. After the game, the Cuban has not set foot on a baseball field for an official game in the MLB.
At the beginning of March, two weeks before the Opening Day of the 2021 MLB season, Yoenis Céspedes held a showcase for several teams of the majors, in a stadium in Fort Pierce, Florida.
However, despite the good demonstration at the exhibition and the interest shown by some franchises such as the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds, no agreement was ever made for the return of Yoenis Céspedes to the Major Leagues.
Since then, little or nothing has been known about Yoenis Céspedes’ present and future plans regarding his sports career, other than rumors of his return to MLB, or wishes of his followers. The truth is that, little by little, the flame of its history in the best baseball in the world has been extinguished.
However, outside the baseball field, as a public figure that he is, Cuban player Yoenis Céspedes continues to have a strong presence among his fans. Proof of this is the history told by Tim Boyle in FANSIDED, who assures that “Yoenis Céspedes bought me an engagement ring.”
“Yoenis Céspedes did a lot for the New York Mets in 2015. Almost immediately after arriving, the culture around the team was very different. Suddenly, the team felt like it could make the playoffs. They did it and Céspedes was a great reason for it ”, Boyle began his story
Tim Boyle, who is classified as a loyal supporter of the Mets, lover and expert in sports and money, assures that in that year 2015, Céspedes not only helped his favorite team.
“His contributions on the (baseball) field also bought me an engagement ring,” Boyle explained. “His two hot months with the Mets made me get down on my knees and propose.”
“In 2015, my wife and I were living on opposite sides of the world. The idea of marriage was something we had talked about, but it seemed like a big step in life. Getting married was for adults. As a millennial, I naturally avoid as many grown-up things as possible, ”said Tim.
“At some point in our relationship, I decided that I was ready to propose. I bought a ring towards the end of the baseball season, but not before they deposited a couple hundred dollars into my bank account courtesy of Cespedes, ”added the Mets fan.
And here we can ask ourselves: is Yoenis Céspedes a friend of Tim Boyle, known at least, or did he want to help him directly in his love story?
Tim himself explains:
“I never met Céspedes, nor do I think I will ever find myself on a Florida farm, disguised as a wild boar, to have a chance to meet him. This does not mean that Céspedes has not had a positive impact on my life yet. His performance for the Mets helped lead my fantasy baseball team to victory and earned me the first and only championship of my career. ”
And it is that Tim Boyle, as a loyal sports lover, managed an MLB Fantasy team in that 2015 season and, apparently, Céspedes’ numbers were vital in the championship achieved by him.
“Like in real life, Cespedes didn’t start the season with the Toronto Blue Jay Lenos, my team’s name that year. He was transferred to my team by one of the biggest and most obnoxious Mets fans my dad knew at work. I wish I could remember who I gave up to acquire Céspedes. It wasn’t Luis Cessa and Michael Fulmer. “
Recall that just on July 31, 2015, Fulmer and Cessa were traded to the Detroit Tigers along with Luis Cessa in exchange for outfielder Yoenis Céspedes, who joined the New York Mets franchise to end that season.
“At the time of the trade, Cespedes was still a member of the Detroit Tigers. Needing some power in my fantasy gear, I pulled the trigger and brought it in to give my squad some much-needed pop. A few weeks later, I had a memorable tear much closer to home in New York, ”Boyle explained.
However, there was still emotion left in this story.
“The climax came on August 21 when I watched my fantasy team rack up a lot of points. What could it be? This was the night Cespedes hit three home runs against the Colorado Rockies. “
“If you play fantasy baseball, you know that the end of August is when most leagues begin to conclude the season before the playoffs. Even though I had already won a spot in the playoffs, it helped me get seeded. “
Without a doubt, Cespedes’ numbers were very helpful to Tim Boyle and his Toronto Blue Jay Lenos team in their fantasy baseball league that 2015 season.
“Mets fans know how well Cespedes continued to play during the regular season. Every week he was there as one of my outfielders contributing to the victories. That, plus a couple of bad starts by Chris Sale and Madison Bumgarner (owned by my opponents), as well as some big games by Adrián Beltré on my behalf, served to win it all. ”Tim added in his story.
“In fact, without Cespedes finding his great swing for the Mets in late 2015, I was able to dive a little deeper into my savings,” Tim said.
And then, the grand finale of the story:
“They say that one should spend roughly three months’ salary on an engagement ring. Instead, I paid for it with six months of fantasy baseball earnings. “