IL Worcester Red Sox

Boston Red Sox Alumnus and Reliever Rich Garcés, "El Guapo," Visited Polar Park on July 8

August 2, 2023 - International League (IL)
Worcester Red Sox News Release


The Worcester Red Sox are no strangers to having surprise appearances practically every week during homestands at Polar Park. This season, the WooSox have welcomed legends such as Orlando Cabrera, Lou Merloni, Tom "Flash" Gordon, and Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, among others. Most of the visits are to celebrate "Throwback Thursdays" and are announced from the beginning of the season so that fans can circle on their calendars the dates to meet their favorite New England sports legends.

From time to time, some former players visit the park in a more spontaneous way, and this time, "El Guapo" arrived in Worcester and made an appearance at Polar Park thanks to the vice president of the team, Joe Bradlee. Garcés greeted the entire park from the mound and threw a Ceremonial First Pitch.

The Venezuelan pitcher went through teams such as the Chicago Cubs and the Miami Marlins before signing with the Boston Red Sox organization in 1995, and was part of the Pawtucket Red Sox until 1998, where he finally claimed a spot on the big league roster. Despite having teammates such as Pedro Martínez and Nomar Garciaparra, Garcés quickly became a fan-favorite player due to his good performances and his characteristic physique.

The WooSox Spanish-language broadcast team, Michael Smithers and Andrés Hernández, had the opportunity to sit down with Garcés and reminisce about some of his moments with the Red Sox organization.

"I think one of the best memories I have is sharing with Manny Ramirez, with Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and all those players who are icons and legends of Boston," said Garcés, and about his famous nickname, "El Guapo" said that it comes from his time with the Texas Rangers. "That started with Greg Maddux's brother, Mike, who was a pitching coach. He saw the Three Amigos movie and from there he started calling me "Guapo, Guapo, Guapo."

He also commented on the importance of the Latino community in baseball in the United States and what Hispanic/Latino inclusion means. "You start watching the major leagues right now and Latinos are everywhere. Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico have representation and one of the audiences that will reach the stadiums the most are the Latino communities."

Garcés was the last player to use the legendary number 34 before David Ortiz, something he remembers with great affection and pride. "I will always feel proud to have used the number 34, and for the same thing that Big Papi did, which is an accomplishment that has no name, and seeing that number retired I feel a relief because no one has to use it anymore," Garcés said with a laugh.

Today, "El Guapo" lives in Hartford, CT, and works at an academy that trains young players and transmits his knowledge and experience in Major League Baseball to boys from 14 years old to college players.

After the interview, Garcés went to the Sherwood's Diner to mingle with fans, take pictures and sign autographs.

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International League Stories from August 2, 2023


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