LOS ANGELES -- On his first day in the major leagues, in August 2016, Yuli Gurriel was understandably nervous. He was 32 and had defected six months earlier from Cuba to sign with the Houston Astros. Now, after 15 games in the minor leagues, he had been summoned to play at baseball's highest level.
At his locker before his debut, Gurriel heard a comforting language, but from an unexpected source. Alex Bregman, an Albuquerque, N.M., native who played at LSU, was speaking in Spanish. And he was talking to Gurriel.
"It surprised me," Gurriel said. "He said, 'I played with you in Cuba as a college kid.