MEXICO CITY – Esteban Quiroz recalled the time he nervously approached one of his favorite baseball players. He asked Jose Altuve if he could stand next to him. Perhaps it was his way of sizing up the opponent.
It was a warm, humid March evening in Guadalajara, Mexico, before the host’s clash against Venezuela in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. The 5-foot-6 Altuve --the shortest player in baseball-- laughed at Quiroz's gesture, who seemingly turned out to be an inch taller. The second baseman for Team Mexico had been hitting well at the tournament, and thrilled by his encounter with Altuve, he smacked a three-run homer in his side's 11-8 win over the favored Venezuelans.