ST. LOUIS — Every hug and every handshake doled out by Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo to the patients and parents at Mercy Hospital during a recent visit came from a knowing and understanding place.
That’s because Pozo knows all too well the pain and strain that families endure when a young loved one is hospitalized for an extended period of time.
Not long after Pozo’s son, Paul, was born in March of 2020, the infant experienced a series of seizures that required a lengthy hospital stay and weekly checkups with a variety of specialists. The sports world happened to be shutting down about that same time because of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning the Minor League Baseball season would eventually be canceled. Because Pozo lost his insurance and what money the family had was used to pay for Paul’s medical care, wife Paola, Paul and Yohel were rendered homeless, living out of the family car parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Orlando, Fla.
So when Pozo recently met with families enduring the hardships of having a loved one ill and in the hospital, he truly felt their pain.
“I know what the parents are going through and I know what the kids are going through because I’ve been there before going through the same thing,” said Pozo, who has developed into something of a cult hero in St. Louis this season with his uncanny success as a pinch-hitter. Pozo holds an MLB-leading seven RBIs in that role, with six hits in 14 pinch-hit opportunities (.429). “Giving them an hour for joy, they’re going to remember that forever. Meeting an MLB baseball player for an hour will be with them forever.
“I’m doing it to honor my son, who had to go through something like this. Also, doing something good for others is something that makes me feel great because I know the tough times they are going through.”
In a sense, Pozo brought the joy of the children in the hospital with him to Busch Stadium when he had them dip their hands in different colored paint and imprint them onto his 34-inch, 31-ounce white maple bat. Pozo, who wasn’t in Friday’s starting lineup against the Yankees, but is expected to start on Saturday, plans to use that bat during MLB’s Players’ Weekend festivities.
“Using that bat is going to feel great at the plate,” said Pozo, who has gone 11-for-25 (.440) with a home run, a double and eight RBIs this season in situations described as “late and close.”
“When I’m at the plate, I’m going to feel like I have all their power.”
Pozo, 28, briefly made it to the big leagues in 2021 with the Rangers, but he is excited to go through his first Players’ Weekend with the Cardinals. He is also planning to use a bat painted purple that is adorned with a blue ribbon to raise awareness for a variety of childhood illnesses.
Pozo, a native of Maracaibo, Venezuela, who has applied to try and earn American citizenship, said it gives him chills to think that he could be some child’s favorite MLB player. He hopes to honor those who follow his career by being someone others can look up to.
“If you had asked me a year ago about being a role model, I would roll my eyes and say, ‘No, not me,’” Pozo said playfully. “But this year, I’ve gotten so many messages from kids through social media, asking me questions about my life as a ballplayer, and I’m happy to help. It just makes me feel good knowing that they are following me and looking to me. When I was a kid, it was [legendary Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina] who I was following. Now they are following me, and it feels great.”
