Bronx, NY: Last Tuesday while the world of baseball was setting into its second week of the baseball season with not too much fanfare, there was a historic game that took place in Boston that was especially watched by many Puerto Rican’s.
First it was a special day for the Boston Red Sox as this was their home opener and they would be receiving their World Championship rings. It was also a special day for Red Sox manager, Alex Cora who became the first Puerto Rican to manage and win a World Series. For that reason when they announced Cora’s and as he walked to receive his ring, they played “Preciosa” (Precious) a 1937 patriotic composition (one of the most popular songs in the history of Puerto Rico’s music as it relates to the love that all Puerto Rican’s have for their island) This particular rendition they played was the Modern version sang by, Marc Anthony.
Cora was emotionally touched and turned towards the capacity crowd to wave. Cora later explained that he had no idea they would play that song. He also joked and stated that he was going to call Marc Anthony and request royalties as they promoted his song at the stadium.
However, all of that, though special and emotional to many was not what made history. The truly historic event for all Puerto Ricans was that this was the first time in the history of the game that two Puerto Rican born managers faced each other in an MLB game.
Very emotional day for Toronto manager, Charlie Montoyo managing an MLB game with Alex Cora managing the Red Sox. (Photo Courtesy of endi)
Alex Cora was the only Puerto Rican last season managing a major league team and this season he was joined by, Toronto Blue Jays, Charlie Montoyo who became the second Puerto Rican now managing in the majors. Though this might not seem like much to many, the fact is that a small island that is considered the last remaining colony loves to shine whenever it can in the home of the colonizer.
Apparently it is also considered historic by the Baseball Hall of Fame as they have collected the uniform of both managers, the line up cards and other memorabilia for the museum.
