Getting to know … Héctor Rondón

RIGHT-HANDED PITCHER // 8TH MLB SEASON // 2016 WORLD CHAMPION

D-BACKS INSIDER: When did you start playing baseball and who taught you how to play?

HÉCTOR RONDÓN: I started playing since I can remember, 4-5 years old. I used to play for a Little League team called the Astros in Venezuela. I would play in national competitions with good teams and I always pushed myself. I never had a mentor per se. I also never felt like I had the obligation of having to play in the big leagues. I always stayed in the present.

Former Cubs bullpen coach Lester Strode, who was also part of our 2016 world championship team, always pushed me and believed in me. He was the one who helped me reach a level I didn´t know I had.

DI: Did you play any other sports as a youngster?

HR: Soccer was my second favorite sport. I would play in regional select teams, but I was never able to represent my state in national tournaments because I was so focused on baseball.

DI: What was life like for you off the field back then?

HR: I have two brothers – Héctor y José Miguel – and seven uncles and seven aunts. We would always challenge each other to fútbol, volleyball and basketball. No one liked to lose, and we would always try to defeat each other.

My dad is also named Héctor. If my mom would call one of us to do chores, we already knew who had to do which chore. In my case, it was cleaning up the house. However, three Héctors in a row were enough, so they named my little brother, José Miguel.

DI: What is the significance of your tattoos?

HR: I dedicate a lot of them to Jesus Christ. It’s as simple as that. I have Jesus´ face tattooed on my right hamstring. My dad and my mom are on the inside of my right wrist. My family and my religion are my cornerstones.

DI: How did you learn English?

HR: I would spend a lot of time with Minor League teammate Carlos Rivero, and we would bet on having to order food. We would order and then ask the waiter who ordered better, and whomever did it best won. We would also try to make conversation with the wait staff and that helped us improve.

DI: What is unique about your hometown?

HR: I grew up in a little city called Guatire, in the state of Miranda. We have a saint called San Pedro, and the tradition is that people come out on the streets with drums and instruments to dance and celebrate for two or three days, 10 hours a day.

DI: Did you grow up close to or with any current or former Major Leaguers?

HR: No. I think my hometown has like two or three players that have played in the big leagues, and I think that I am the longest tenured one.

DI: Are there any funny stories about when you first came to the United States?

HR: Back in December 2004, I was at an event in Cleveland and I was stunned by the amount of snow that was covering my car. It never snowed in Venezuela. So, I just brushed it off and left! I´m not staying out and catching a cold. Forget about that!

DI: You played in the 2017 World Baseball Classic for Venezuela alongside D-backs pitcher Silvino Bracho. What is your best or favorite memory from playing on such a global stage?

HR: The best memories? They were few and far between, really, because I did not do well! All kidding aside, it was a beautiful experience, a unique feeling that I had representing my country. There is nothing else like it.