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From Cuba to Cooperstown: A Gotera family connection

Tony Oliva is going into the Hall of Fame next year. The baseball great spoke with KHOU 11's Daniel Gotera about life, baseball and their family's connection.

HOUSTON — Sometimes, a baseball bat is more than just a piece of sports memorabilia.

I have a lot of what you would call stuff in my collection, most of it I wonder how or why I still even have it. But there is one bat that has been a part of our family for over 50 years that all of sudden has taken on a new meaning.

The bat was given to us by 2022 Hall of Fame inductee Tony Oliva, the great outfielder and hitter for the Minnesota Twins in the 1960’s and 70’s. Oliva and my family go way back, all the way back to Cuba, where my grandfather first met Oliva in a small town not far from where my family lived. The two developed a great friendship, my grandfather invited him to play baseball with them in their town of Los Palacios. That’s where a professional ball player and scout saw him and asked him if he wanted to play professionally.

Credit: Daniel Gotera

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As they say, the rest is history.

Over the years, Oliva and my grandfather have stayed in touch, checking up on each other from time to time. It’s a friendship that spans decades and now one of them is going in the most exclusive club in all of baseball.

My family is very proud of our friend, Tony Oliva. This recognition is long overdue.

And yes…that bat I mentioned before is now being kept in a very safe place.

Credit: KHOU

Daniel spoke to Tony Oliva about his future induction into the Hall of Fame.  They had conversations in both English and in Spanish. The full Spanish translation is below. 

Here's the interview in English

And here it is in Spanish

Translation of interview 

Daniel: Let’s start in Spanish…what does it mean to you to be selected to join the Baseball Hall of Fame

Tony Oliva: It means a lot to me, first and foremost, I am very happy that they gave me this honor. A lot of people are really happy, mainly my family here in the United State and in Cuba. My brothers, my friends, everyone that I played baseball with in Cuba and all the fans here in the United States. It’s not just something for me, I think it’s international. I spent a lot of time not just in Cuba, but in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Venezuela are all places that I played baseball. They either watched me play or manage baseball so it really is a world wide triumph for me.

Daniel: What were your emotions when you received the call and when they told you that you had been selected?

Tony Oliva: You know, my first reaction was beautiful but I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been so close so many times, many times I got to the very end and nothing happened and I had to wait another 4-5 years. This year though when they gave me the news, it was like lifting a 1,500 pound weight off my shoulders. Everyone was really happy, my wife, my kids, everyone was here with me and it really was a beautiful thing and I couldn’t believe it. From where I came from in Cuba, I was working the fields primarily, I didn’t really play a lot of baseball growing up, it was every Sunday. I didn’t play much amateur baseball, what I did play was with my brother throwing baseballs off a wall. I then realized that I could hit against some of these big league pitchers. But really, I give all my thanks to God for putting me on this path because with out Him I don’t know where I would be.

Daniel: My grandfather tells me about the days when you guys met, when you guys played…what can you tell me about this journey from where you started to where you’ve arrived?

Tony Oliva: They were incredible. I am from a suburb that is called Corralito, and where your grandfather lived, Los Palacios, it was about 15-20 km. They played better baseball than I did, because I was only playing on Sundays. Your grandfather came to watch me play, and they took me to Los Palacios to their team to play on their team and that’s where I met Fernandez Tapanez who was a professional with the Washington Senators. He saw me play a couple of times and that’s when he asked me if I wanted to play professionally. I didn’t even know what that meant. But, in Los Palacios, they would bring teams from Havana who had players that played professionally and I played against them. I told myself, if those guys are professionals, then I can be a professional too. Thanks to your grandfather, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go to Los Palacios to play. There were a lot of little things that cam my way so that’s why I thank God for putting a lot of good people on my path that gave me this opportunity.

Daniel: What does it mean to you to have spent your entire career with the Minnesota Twins? I know you still are in communication with them…that relationship must be pretty special for you.

Tony Oliva: My career has been very long. I’ve been with the Twins for 60 years. I still work for the Twins. I go down to Spring Training and help with them with their hitters, anything here in Minnesota with Public Relations, I still help them out. I do radio for them, broadcasting about 50 games every year. I’ve lived here since 1964. It’s very cold

Daniel: It’s a little different from Cuba, but I’m sure you’ve gotten used to it right?

Tony Oliva: Well, with this cold…you might feel a little better, but you never get used to it. My first country is Cuba, but my second is right here in Minnesota. The people here are very good, this is my family. The Minnesota Twins are part of my big family. I feel very happy here, very comfortable and until now, they’ve treated me very well. The people that don’t live here, don’t really know how nice Minnesota is. It’s a great city, a little cold, but you have to tolerate that every now and then.

Daniel: Do you know what you’re going to say?

Tony Oliva: Thank you

Daniel: That’s it?

Tony Oliva: You know, I’ve been waiting for this moment for 45 years. I thought the first two years, I was going to get in as a player with the writers. My numbers were there, all the things that I had done in a relatively short career because of an injury... There have been other guys that have had short careers too and have gotten in. The career I had might have been short but it was really, really good. I still have records that haven’t been broken so I thought I really had a chance of getting into the Hall of Fame the first 1-2 years on the ballot. Maybe not the first ballot, but the other times I did, but well…it didn’t happen.

Daniel: Well…do you have a message for my grandfather? This is your chance to send him a quick message.

Tony Oliva: The good thing is that we’ve always been in contact with one another, we never lost touch and because of him, I am here. I am very thankful for him and everything he did for me. I remember the first time I went back to Cuba the first time, he and some friends threw a big party for me in Los Palacios and we had a great time. I’ll never forget when he went to go pick me up, I was working the fields. He can tell you how things for me weren’t easy. I think God put me on this journey to be an example for people.

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