SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Cesar Ramos, 31, a left-hander in Rangers camp on a Minor League contract, pitched two innings on Monday against the Indians, trying to prove he belongs on the Opening Day roster.
Up in the stands, Ramos' wife, Melanie, watched intently, applauding each time he threw a strike or retired a hitter. In the aisle next to her, the Ramos' 20-month-old daughter Addison was playing happily, oblivious to what was going on around her.
Addison doesn't realize what is at stake when her father pitches, or that her mother is cancer-free, or that she has a new brother or sister coming in August.