LOS ANGELES— A pair of Arizona Diamondbacks got a chance to take in a Real Madrid training session on Monday and test the baseball skill of the Spanish giants.
Diamondbacks players’ catcher Miguel Montero and outfielder Gerardo Parra observed Real Madrid’s training session on Monday prior to their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. After taking photos, both players played a game of baseball with several members of Los Blancos.
For the two natives of Venezuela, the chance to see the Spanish giants was an exciting experience.
Quotes from Montero below…
MONTERO: “It was great, I grew up watching a lot of soccer and I was checking the website and the schedule because I know that every year, they do a US tour so it worked out pretty good. I saw that they were going to come [to Los Angeles] the same time that we do and I talked to our PR guy to see if we could go see them and [Monday] it was a great experience.”
(On what he and Parra did during the Madrid training session…)
MONTERO: “We got to meet the guys, take a couple of pictures and they played around with a baseball bat, a glove and a baseball. It was great just to be there and shake their hands.”
(On the Real Madrid player with the best baseball skill...)
MONTERO: “Xabi Alonso. He was pretty good man, he impressed me. We talked and he said that he had been in a baseball game one time and after that, he got to hit a bit then he went to find a batting cage. He went there and he took some extra swings and it looked like he did. I didn’t get him a deal, but he’s pretty good.”
(On the player that he was most excited to see…)
MONTERO: “Iker Casillas. My family is from Spain, my dad and mom were born and raised in Spain so I always followed soccer. I played a little bit, but I was born in Venezuela and the national time is baseball, but I always kept watching. I always watch the World Cup, Euro Cup and growing up; I watched Real Madrid and Barcelona.”
