INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — Rodolfo Castro doesn’t remember how old he was when he first met Albert Pujols, or even the exact circumstances, whether it was at a major league game or during one of the big slugger’s charitable trips back to the Dominican Republic.
Castro remembers how he felt, though. It was that childlike sense of wonder that comes when you meet your hero.
“I know I was a young kid,” recalled Castro, now the 23-year-old infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “And I was very timid in approaching him because I knew his stature and knew what he represented.”