Jose Reyes is one of the greatest players ever to come from the Dominican Republic. Amed Rosario hopes to be the next standout from that nation.
But neither could ever mean as much to their country as the man beside them in the dugout Wednesday night.
Ozzie Virgil Sr., the first Dominican-born player to appear in the major leagues, was the Mets’ honorary coach, and took out the lineup card before their 3-0 win over the Braves.
The 86-year-old, who has worked in the Mets’ organization for the past 11 years as an instructor for their Dominican summer league teams, made his major league debut with the New York Giants on Sept.