Pérez: What it was like to play with three 2025 HOFers

Growing up arsenic the lad of a Hall of Famer, I was raised with a heavy respect for the crippled of shot -- not conscionable the numbers connected the backmost of the card, but the psyche down the uniform. My father, Hall of Famer Tony Pérez, showed maine that greatness is not conscionable measured successful stats. It is recovered successful the character, bosom and the unrelenting emotion for the crippled successful immoderate player. I was fortunate -- not lone did I larn that acquisition early, I lived it alongside 3 men present being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Billy Wagner, CC Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki.

In 1996, agelong earlier the lights of Cooperstown were adjacent a thought for Billy Wagner, we played unneurotic successful wintertime shot for the Cangrejeros de Santurce successful my autochthonal Puerto Rico. That league is not conscionable a proving crushed -- it was and inactive is simply a crucible. Billy showed up arsenic a young fireballer -- astatine the time, a starter with a near limb that snapped similar a whip and a bosom afloat of quiescent intensity. What struck maine was not conscionable his velocity. It was his humility. He did not travel to dominate. He came to learn, to grow, to grant the game. And helium did it each with a enactment ethic that made him consciousness much similar a autochthonal than a visitor.

A decennary later, successful 2006, I joined CC Sabathia successful Cleveland. At that point, helium was already a force. Towering presence, electrical stuff, and the benignant of enactment you can't teach. But what stood retired astir to maine was however profoundly helium cared: astir the clubhouse, astir the guys grinding beside him, and astir the work of carrying a franchise. CC pitched similar helium was protecting thing sacred. He reminded maine of my begetter successful that way. He knew it wasn't conscionable astir however you play the game, but however you transportation yourself successful the spaces successful between.

That was embodied successful thing personal, thing tiny but unforgettable. Every crippled that I was not successful the starting lineup and helium was not pitching -- which, let's look it, was often -- I would leap connected the stationary motorcycle successful the 5th inning. Without fail, CC would articulation me. That became our time. Sometimes for 10 minutes; if the inning went long, sometimes for 30 minutes (which we were ne'er blessed about). Just 2 teammates, broadside by side, pedaling done the mediate innings, talking beingness and baseball. That was CC. Present, supportive and ever a teammate first.

That aforesaid year, I was traded to Seattle and recovered myself sharing a dugout with Ichiro Suzuki. If Billy brought vigor and CC brought heart, Ichiro brought harmony. A cleanable blend of precision, mentation and pride. Every determination helium made was intentional. Every at-bat felt similar show art. But Ichiro was not aloof. He was engaged, thoughtful and profoundly respectful of the game's history. His subject was connected different level. He stretched agelong earlier astir guys were adjacent dressed. He intimately studied the trade of close field. And down the scenes, helium lived by the clock; everything helium did was to minute. The enactment ne'er stopped.

There was 1 infinitesimal I volition ne'er forget. We were playing the Tampa Bay Rays, and I had been struggling astatine the plate. I figured I needed a small luck and a change. Ichiro ne'er kept his bats successful the rack. He ever sat successful the aforesaid nonstop spot successful the dugout, and his bats were ever lined up neatly close adjacent to him. So, midgame, I made a bold move. I softly took 1 of Ichiro's bats from beside his spot and walked to the on-deck circle. As I stepped into the batter's box, I could consciousness it. Ichiro, the full team, everyone realized what I had done. I was utilizing his bat. I ended up getting a deed up the middle, and erstwhile I came backmost to the dugout, Ichiro retrieved the bat. During the game, helium wrote thing connected the knob and reluctantly gave it backmost to me. To beryllium clear, helium was not blessed -- that was the benignant of rival helium was. His bats were not conscionable tools, they were extensions of his craft. But adjacent successful that quiescent frustration, determination was a furniture of respect. That was Ichiro -- wrapped successful a bat that, thankfully, worked for 1 plaything that day.

These 3 men, Billy, CC and Ichiro, are present everlastingly etched successful shot immortality. But the crushed I americium proudest to person played beside them has thing to bash with Cooperstown. It is due to the fact that they showed up with authenticity. They gave the crippled everything they had. They respected the travel and the radical astir them. They played not for glory, but due to the fact that they loved it.

And for me, idiosyncratic who grew up successful the clubhouse of the Big Red Machine and whose begetter taught him to grant this crippled with each plaything and each breath, that is the highest tribute determination is.

To Billy, CC and Ichiro, convey you for letting maine stock a tiny portion of your singular journey. Baseball is amended due to the fact that of you. And I americium amended for having played beside you.