Interview with Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez has been a sports commentator for over 30 years, and has broadcast the Seattle Mariners home games on Spanish radio for the last two seasons. Mr. Pi-Gonzalez provides play-by-play coverage with his partner Julio Cruz, ex-second baseman for the Mariners, who provides color commentary. He has kindly granted WITS the following interview.

WITS: How did you feel when you witnessed Ichiro’s historic moment, when he got his 258th hit and broke Mr. Sisler’s record?

A: Ichiro’s 258th hit was one of the great moments of the Mariners franchise since they started playing in Seattle in 1977. I am thrilled to have been able to bring all the excitement to the Latino public through the Mariners Radio Network.

WITS: What did you think of the homage to Edgar Martinez, after he announced his retirement?

A: The homage to Edgar Martinez was 100% well-deserved. Edgar is perhaps the most famous and popular athlete to ever play for a professional team in the city of Seattle. Furthermore, he was not only a great player, he is an even better person and human being. Edgar has never forgotten his Latino roots, and to see the city of Seattle and the team make that tribute to him makes me feel very proud to be Latino too.

WITS: How do the Mariners look for next year?

A: It’s tough to make a prediction for the 2005 Mariners. They need more power and offense. They need a first baseman and a third baseman with power, and greater depth in the pitching rotation. The Western Division of the American League is a very good one. The Mariners now have to contend with not only Anaheim and Oakland, but Texas is a very young and aggressive team, which has improved its pitching. For the Mariners to be contenders they need a lot more batting. I think that’s the department that has to improve the most.

WITS: What’s the moment that most stands out in your mind in the two years you’ve been narrating Mariners games?

A: Without a doubt, when Ichiro connected his 262^nd hit for this 2004 season, that was the greatest moment in my two seasons with the Mariners.  This is a record that might not be matched for many years to come.  Not even Ichiro himself was sure he would be able to achieve 262 hits, which in itself is an incredible number in a 162-game season.

WITS: How have the fans responded to the broadcasts in Spanish?

A: The response of the fans to the Mariners broadcasts on the Mariners Radio Network (five stations in Washington State) has been excellent. The public sends us e-mails constantly, and many of them even come to the stadium wanting to greet us in our broadcast booth. The great thing about baseball is that there are lots of statistics and historical facts, and many people send us their questions. Julio gets a lot of letters from people who saw him play and want to greet him or request his autograph.

WITS: Any chance of narrating the Mariners road games too?

A: I’d like to eventually narrate all 162 games for the Mariners, all the home games and all the road games. It’s the best way for our audience to follow the Mariners in all their games. It depends on the sponsors and sales. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best way to keep the public informed. I have broadcasted and traveled with other teams throughout the season, and it’s a simply wonderful thing to travel with the players, visit other cities, and bring the public all the excitement as well as the history of other cities and teams. It all depends on the heads of the Radio Network in Spokane whether they want to broadcast all the games. I’d like to do them all, of course.

WITS: How did you get started as a commentator?

A: Having been born in Cuba (where baseball is almost a religion), I’ve always been interested in this fine sport called “the King of Sports,” ever since my father Joaquin used to take me to the stadium in Havana, Cuba, where the games of the Winter League of Cuban Professional Baseball were played every year. When I came to the US, I got interested in journalism, and it was through a great friend and mentor, Efrain Osorio, in Newark, New Jersey, that I was given the chance to write for several newspapers and cover baseball, and the rest is history. The first time I did radio commentary was in California in 1970.

WITS: I understand you have been a commentator in many other sports.  Which ones, and which do you like the best?

A: In my career I’ve covered baseball, basketball, soccer, football, and ice hockey. I have narrated baseball on the radio for three decades, and for six years I was the Spanish Voice of the NBA Golden State Warriors. Also, during the World Cup (USA 1994), I covered Brazil’s champion team for Northern California Telemundo, where I worked as a sports anchor on the evening news at six and eleven, and I also had sports programs with interviews and commentary.  One of my best-known interviews was one I did with the great Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele), and other world soccer figures.

WITS: Did you used to play a sport?

A: As long as I can remember, I played baseball in Cuba, and then as a teenager in Miami in high school and the university. I played second base, and sometimes shortstop. I was an excellent fielder and a good batter, but I had trouble hitting the curve ball, like the character Serrano in the movie “Major League.”

WITS: I know Ichiro has his own personal interpreter. Do the Mariners use interpretation and translation services much? What do they do to find people qualified to do this work?  For example, do they have Korean and Spanish interpreters?