The interleague series between the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics at Wrigley Field this past week was especially important to A’s utility infielder Adam Rosales. Before he made his way into the Major Leagues, he attended Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
“This was where I came to my first major league baseball game, when I was five or six years old,” Rosales told me in the Oakland dugout Wednesday night before the game. “I grew up a Cubs fan, now I’m a Wrigley Field fan,” he continued.
By Paul M. Banks
Through June 19th, the A’s utility infielder is hitting .268 with an OPS of .762, 5 HR 22 RBI. He’s started 13 of the A’s last 24 games, with 5 different positions in those 13 starts.
I asked him if it was sweet or bittersweet to take the first game of the serie against the Cubs.
“Sweet, I’m an A, the opportunity to play in the Major Leagues is a great experience. I had a lot of family, a lot of friends, and some people from Western Michigan out there in the outfield during warmups. They all came to seem me,” he responded.
Unfortunately, Rosales had trouble locating the sweet spot during the Cubs-A’s series. He played in the first two of the three game set, and went 0-3 with two strikeouts over the two contests. His team didn’t have the best results either, losing two of three in Chicago.
I probably had 15 ticket requests or so everyday. They contacted me on Facebook, from all over the place, they’re just happy to see I’m doing well,” Rosales said.
Before joining the Oakland organization, Rosales began the 2009 season with the Triple-A Louisville Bats after failing to earn a spot on the Reds’ roster. He was called up on April 28 following the placement of Edwin Encarnacion on the 15-day disabled list. On February 1, 2010, Rosales was traded along with Willy Taveras to the Oakland Athletics for Aaron Miles and a player to be named later.