Eugenio Suárez hopes momentum from World Baseball Classic can carry over into 2nd stint with Reds
CINCINNATI (AP) — Eugenio Suárez provided the biggest moment in Venezuela's sports history with an RBI double in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic to beat the United States. As big as that was, he's ready for another challenge. Suárez's second stint with Cincinnati began Thursday as the Reds opened the season against the Boston Red Sox.
Suárez was in the lineup at designated hitter and batted fifth. “Fits like an old glove, even though I'm the new guy here,” Suárez said before the game. “I don’t need a map.
I know the streets, I know the city. ” Suárez — who signed a one-year, $15 million contract before spring training — was with the Reds from 2015 through 2021. He hit 189 home runs during those seven seasons, including 49 in 2019.
The 34-year old Suárez delivered the biggest moment of his baseball career in the ninth inning of the WBC title game on March 17 in Miami when his double into the left-field gap on a full-count changeup from Garrett Whitlock drove in pinch-runner Javier Sanoja for Venezuela's game-winning run to beat the U. S. 3-2.
Suárez emotionally stood on second base with his outstretched arms pointing to the sky, a moment that is sure to be immortalized in some fashion throughout Venezuela. “Every time that I see my phone, I see videos, I see text message from my friends. It was one of the best experiences that I've had in my career,” he said.