Giants' Thairo Estrada talks leaving home to reach his baseball dream
Latinos are a big part of baseball in the U.S., and they're dominating the league. Within the San Francisco Giants, there are a few players who had impressive seasons, like Camilo Doval, Thairo Estrada, Wilmer Flores and Luis Matos.
When Estrada is up to bat in a game, Bad Bunny's song "Después de la Playa," starts to play.
"'Vamos pal mambo o no vamos pal mambo,'" Estrada said referencing the song's lyrics. "I've had that song since I started here."
Estrada said as soon as the first inning gets underway, the party starts. He met with KPIX 5 in the dugout before a home game in his white and orange Nikes. He said he loves shoes.
He had a great season with the Giants this year., finishing off with a .271 batting average. When he posts some of his highlights on his Instagram profile, his caption often says "El de Bejuma."
Bejuma is the Venezuela town where Estrada grew up and where his love for baseball started.
"I didn't have the opportunity to have a glove. Economically, my parents, they didn't have the opportunity to buy me a glove," Estrada said.
But his skills were noticed.
"I started to train, have personal classes, and there I developed my talent even more, and we started to show that to organizations," he added.
Estrada was signed by the Yankees and made his Major League debut in 2019. He joined the Giants in 2021.
"Incredible," he said when asked what he thinks about San Francisco.
Estrada said it's the place that has allowed him to showcase his talent. Fans now recognize his name, but getting to this level in his career has not been easy.
Players coming from other countries face challenges that people may not always think about.
"Get up every day, not get your parents' blessing every day, not have the nourishment that you've always had in your country, it's extremely hard," Estrada said.
But he's fought hard to be here.
"Yes, I've missed my family. It's been really hard, but I've always wanted to be here," he said.
Estrada just earned the Willie Mac Award – the annual honor given to the most inspirational player on the team. It's voted on by Giants players, club personnel and fans.
Now, Estrada uses his blessings in his life to give back to the place he grew up and to be an example for kids growing up wanting to be a professional baseball player.