SANTO DOMINGO, D.R. — Shortly after taking a circuitous route from the press conference room at Estadio Quisqueya, across a well-manicured field, through the concourse under the ballpark and past the batting cages, Brayan Bello arrived in the Boston Red Sox’s visiting clubhouse.
It was four hours before the first pitch of their exhibition series against the Tampa Bay Rays in Santo Domingo, but the festivities for a momentous day for the organization were well underway.
Bello wore a gleaming gold watch and tailored, blue plaid suit as he entered the clubhouse, hugging several of his teammates, all of whom had packed into that press conference room alongside his family, David Ortiz, Red Sox coaches, front-office members and a throng of local Dominican media just moments earlier.
The Red Sox officially announced a six-year, $55 million extension with the right-hander Saturday, a deal that includes a $21 million option for a seventh season. The 24-year-old is well on his way to becoming their first homegrown starting pitcher to anchor the rotation in over a decade.
The fact that the deal came together just before this series in the Dominican Republic — Bello’s home country — added to the enormity of the day for the pitcher and for the franchise.
“I just want to say I’m very grateful to everybody who has helped put me in this position,” Bello said through interpreter Carlos Villoria-Benítez, before thanking family, friends, teammates, trainers, coaches and Red Sox ownership. “I’m going to give my 100 percent on the field and I cannot wait to wear this uniform for a long time.”
He paused, then added in English, “Let’s go Red Sox,” beaming with his signature wide smile.
In the words of Brayan Bello…
“Let’s go Red Sox!” pic.twitter.com/OTAYJjHv70— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 9, 2024
Bello’s rise, from an 18-year-old who signed for $28,000 as an international free agent in July 2017 to a pitcher who’s expected to be a mainstay in the Boston rotation into the next decade, was not lost in the celebratory day.
Nor was the fact that another Dominican native, Rafael Devers, is entering year one of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract with the Red Sox that he signed last January.
The Red Sox have long touted their desire to lock up pieces of their future. That they’ve done so with two Dominican players in Devers and now Bello is significant for the island.
The pair grew up in the same area, Samaná, about 100 miles north of Santo Domingo.
“Having two kids from Samaná, it’s crazy to think about it,” manager Alex Cora said. “I know Raffy hates it but he’s the Carita — ‘the face’ of the franchise, and then now we’ve got this kid that we’re hoping is everything we envisioned years ago and that he becomes the ace of this staff. It’s storybook. It’s crazy.”
Devers shared a similar sentiment on his teammate’s success and the rarity of their collective feat.
“There’s not many players from Samaná,” he said. “To have him here for the long term is great. I’m not comparing them, and I didn’t see Pedro (Martinez) pitch much, but I feel like he has that natural swag, that natural presence on the mound that can’t compare with anybody else. The way that he walks, the way he pitches, I feel like every time he pitches, I’m watching Pedro Martinez.”
The lofty shoes to fill may seem unfair to those on the outside, but Bello thrives on the Martinez comparisons. He’s spent the past several offseasons under the tutelage of Martinez at the Hall of Famer’s Dominican home. Just last week, Martinez was in Red Sox camp in Florida, working with Bello in a bullpen.
Martinez, who was at the exhibition game Saturday to throw out the first pitch alongside Ortiz, was happy to see Bello will be in Boston for the next several years.
Two Dominican baseball legends. 🐐
Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz toss out the first pitch at the #DominicanRepublicSeries. pic.twitter.com/h34ZF8t3qm
— MLB…
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