The wife of a former first-round Draft pick, daughter-in-law of a longtime Major League coach and mother to three baseball-playing boys, Belinda Garcia has spent much of her life surrounded by the sport. But while Greg Garcia, a utility infielder for the Cardinals, may have learned the sport from his grandfather and father, his mother's impact was equally as significant.
"I've always said that I think she was actually harder on me sports-wise than my dad was," Greg Garcia said. "My dad was always a softie. When I was in Little League, if I would get out, I would cry. Every time. It was unbelievable. And my dad would let me get away with it. But if I cried after a game, my mom would be like, 'Hey, stop crying.' She wouldn't take it.
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"But she was always very encouraging and was always there for me. She's just been such a big influence on my life. She's the best mom in the world, and I'm very lucky."