This story was excerpted from Steve Gilbert’s D-backs Beat newsletter. This week's lead story was written by Jesús Cano, who is a fellow in the Content Diversity Fellowship Program. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has a lot of good vibes going for him, both on and off the field.
As the clubhouse opened at Chase Field on Monday afternoon, Gurriel’s locker was decorated with four balloons -- three purple, heart balloons and a graduation cap with “Yay” written across.
Gurriel, however, was nowhere to be found. It turned out, he was on a flight back from Miami after completing his test and interview to become a United States citizen. Gurriel arrived in Phoenix around 7 p.m. MT, but still logged an at-bat in Monday night’s win, when he drew a walk to load the bases. When he addressed reporters on Tuesday afternoon, he had a smile while discussing his life-changing event.
“It was one of the most important days of my life,” Gurriel said through D-backs interpreter Alex Arpiza.
It was a day of which Gurriel always dreamed. He and his brother Yuli -- who was in the opposing dugout with the Marlins -- defected from Cuba in 2016 during the Caribbean Series, all for the chance to chase their dreams of playing in the Majors.
It all paid off. Lourdes has enjoyed a six-season career, but most important to him, he has put himself in a position to help his family succeed.
“I appreciate this country so much,” Gurriel said to MLB.com in Spanish. “It opened the door with so many opportunities to help my family. A day like Monday was a very important step toward that.”
Gurriel will be sworn in officially on Friday in Miami. However, he said people within the D-backs' organization are trying to move the ceremony to Arizona.
Gurriel shared the moment with his brother when he saw him in Phoenix. According to Yuli, he helped Lourdes study for his citizenship test by sporadically asking him practice questions.
“I’m very proud of him,” Yuli said. “Hopefully I can follow up [in] those steps, it should be my turn next year.”
All of Lourdes' teammates were pumped for his accomplishment. After Monday’s win, Christian Walker rocked American-themed glasses and gave a shout out to Gurriel, saying, “These stars and stripes are for him.”
Gurriel’s also taking care of business at the plate. After getting off to what he called a “slow start” to begin the season, Gurriel has a slash line of .435/.552/1.000 in his last seven games. He also has five home runs -- four coming in May, which already matches his total from last year.
The righty flexed his muscles on May 7 against the Nationals by smashing two home runs. Gurriel said he’s feeling much healthier after having surgery on his left wrist in the offseason.
He also attributes his success to his family, as he receives plenty of feedback from his dad, Lourdes Sr., and his older brother, Yunieski, daily.
“They take a look at the fine details per game,” Gurriel said. “They've been mentioning, just the pace. The calmness of the game has been kind of key to that, to everything.”