It surprised us all, to some degree. Roughly 2,700 miles from Seattle, around 2,000 from Maguayo, on a grassy field alongside the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, the roars grew louder with every mention of the names.
Randy. Griffey. Edgar.
The crowd fed on the encouragement they’d sampled all weekend - amidst a sea of pinstripes a proud archipelago emerged. Teal, navy, white, and gray. The shades were split but the sentiment was consistent. Nearly 40 years after he’d been signed out of Puerto Rico, the love people bore Edgar Martinez grew to a crescendo.