NEW YORK — Jose Lobaton remembers the general details. He was playing in Single-A for the San Diego Padres’ organization in 2004. He went to the mound to talk with a pitcher about pitch selection late in the game. Lobaton returned to the plate, crouched into his catching position and called a pitch. It was the wrong one. The result of his miscommunication was a tying home run.
His pitching coach at the time informed him that if he didn’t learn English, the club would start fining him.
“In the minor leagues, 10 bucks was like a lot for us,” Lobaton said.