Pirates right-hander Ian Snell is African-American. He does not speak Spanish. Yet, when he started for Puerto Rico on Monday night, few things in the World Baseball Classic seemed more right.
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Snell was so excited when he received his Puerto Rico jersey, he took a picture of it with his cell phone and sent it to Angelica's phone. Angelica says she "screamed and screamed" when he ran to the mound to pitch in an exhibition against the Twins last Tuesday. Snell, who was 7-12 with a 5.42 ERA for the Pirates last season, worked three scoreless innings.
Between his wife's family and stepfather's family, Snell expects between 20 and 25 supporters when he pitches against the Netherlands on Monday.
He originally wanted to wear Davila's name on the back of his jersey. He even is talking about changing his name again, this time to Davila- Snell.
But for now, pitching for Puerto Rico will be enough.
"I'm just glad to be able to honor my dad in such a good way, show him I care about him, care about the culture of Puerto Rico," Snell says. "He's my dad, no matter what."
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