WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Astros bench coach Omar López returned to camp Thursday, proudly wearing his World Baseball Classic championship medal around his neck and a baseball cap celebrating Venezuela's first championship in the tournament. López managed Venezuela to the title by beating the United States on Tuesday night in Miami, an achievement that thrilled a nation and put López in the spotlight. He cried tears of joy in the moments after the game and has been celebrating since, including at Astros camp when the players congratulated him in the clubhouse upon his return. "I'm proud of Omar," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "Watching him win that championship, just the journey there and how hard he's worked to lead that team to the championship. All that stuff that he went through putting a team together, asking for permission, dealing with the Venezuela situation, he'd handled himself like a pro." Espada told López not to report to Astros camp on Wednesday, so he drove home to Orlando and celebrated some more, this time with family and friends. It was also then he began to understand through social media just how much the championship meant to his homeland. "That's when probably it breaks up my heart, I tear up, I start to cry a lot," López told reporters Thursday. "I'm still crying because I'm still receiving videos from our country, from our people watching that game on the streets, on what they call plazas, in every part of the country. That was the dream, seeing kids enjoying, seeing people crying, seeing the whole nation united." |
López's first stint managing Venezuela in the Classic in 2023 ended in heartbreak. After going 4-0 in pool play, Venezuela lost to the United States in the quarterfinals. While the U.S., Japan and the Dominican Republic had won WBC titles, and Puerto Rico and Cuba had played in the championship game, Venezuela didn't break through until this year. "It's been like a dream come true," López said. "In 2022, when I was designated to manage [Venezuela] for the first time, I had a dream. I had a dream, and the dream came true. And I can say right now that when you have a dream, you have to work toward it. Obviously, it wasn't only me. I have a lot of people behind me, plus the players, the most important part on the field. And we're happy." Espada, who tabbed López to replace him as bench coach in 2024 when he replaced Dusty Baker as manager, said López showed he could manage on a big stage. "And for me it's when you have players of that caliber all in one room, that's when you know if you can coach or not," he said. "'Can you lead a team?' Let's put egos aside and this is our mission and this is what we're going to accomplish. And once you accomplish it, now you start asking the real questions. 'Can this guy lead on a big stage?' And he showed he can." |
López was spotted on television Tuesday night hugging longtime Astros bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte after the championship game. Bracamonte was still wearing his championship medal under his hoodie prior to Friday's workout at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. He was on Venezuela's coaching staff. López and Bracamonte are two of the longest-tenured employees for the Astros. López is in his 28th season with the Astros, serving a variety of roles, which included helping to sign Jose Altuve as a 16-year-old and managing at several levels of the Minor Leagues. He joined the Major League staff in 2020. Altuve, who couldn't play in the WBC because of insurance issues, made the 70-mile drive to Miami to watch the semifinal and finals while wearing his Venezuela jersey. "Right before the game, he was basically sitting maybe 10 feet away from me when I came back from plate and exchanged lineup cards," López said. "We just talked [Thursday] and he's happy and he's proud of our team. He's proud of our country." It's been quite a run for López, who led Santurce to the Puerto Rican Winter League title and Venezuela to the WBC title. "Be nice to have a triple crown for him this year," Espada said. |
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Former Astros closer Billy Wagner, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame last year, added another honor earlier this week when the Sports Authority Foundation announced it was inducting him into its Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Wagner will be inducted with former Houston Dynamo player Brian Ching and former Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt at a ceremony in Houston this fall. Wagner, a seven-time All-Star, finished his career with 422 saves in 16 seasons with the Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves -- the eighth-most all time and second most by a left-hander behind John Franco (424). Wagner saved a club-record 225 games for the Astros, who traded him to the Phillies following the 2003 season. Wagner went on to save another 197 games for the Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves. |
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