Ask any member of the Gimenez family about a little thing
called
”
Gimenez luck.
”
They’ll laugh and begin to tell you of how the fates always
seemed to conspire against them when everything appeared to be
going right for once.
Mark Powell Special to The Dispatch
Ask any member of the Gimenez family about a little thing called “Gimenez luck.”
They’ll laugh and begin to tell you of how the fates always seemed to conspire against them when everything appeared to be going right for once.
There was the family car, the “P.O.S. Chrysler,” for example, that never ran well for more than a couple days at a time.
“When things were going OK, that Gimenez luck would just take over sometimes” father Paul Gimenez said laughing.
And for the eldest son Chris, it was as if he could never stay injury-free long enough to achieve recognition for his baseball prowess.
But at the California League-Carolina League All-Star Game Tuesday night at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Chris, representing the Kinston Indians of the Carolina League, finally garnered some praise.
And he just might have turned around that Gimenez luck.
Though he went 0-for-2 in a 10-5 loss to the Cal League All-Stars, Gimenez, a Gilroy native, won the pre-game home run derby, beating out Anthony Recker of Stockton 7-5 in the final round.
“I can’t really believe it. This is a dream come true,” Gimenez said after taking the home run derby title in front of about 50 friends and family about a thousand fans. “I wanted to win it and I didn’t know seven would hold up.”
Gimenez won $500 cash for defeating four of the best home run hitters high-A baseball has to offer and $500 more for his teammates.
He hit 12 home runs total and the Carolina League bested the California League in the team competition 18-11.
“I need that more than anything,” Gimenez said of the cash prize. “That’s like an extra paycheck. I’m going to spend it on bills and buy my girlfriend something nice.”
Gimenez’s seventh and final home run of the competition was his longest clearing a black, metal fence beyond an outdoor restaurant in left-centerfield.
Father Paul said he hoped his son would toss some of the winnings his way because, “Mom and dad have been paying some of his bills.
“But you need to do what you have to do to give them the opportunity,” Paul conceded. “Hopefully, this will open some eyes (of scouts).”
Mother Pam shared a similar sentiment to her husband’s.
“Yeah that would be nice,” she said about her son paying some bills. “But no, he deserves that $500. He can use it however he wants to. We’re hoping maybe this will shoot him up to the next level.”
Gimenez, who was not in the starting lineup, entered the game in the top of the sixth inning and struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch – a “low-and-inside” curveball that may or may not have crossed the plate.
“These guys, they definitely had it out for us, the umpires,” Gimenez said. “Some questionable calls, but it didn’t make a huge difference. (The Cal League team) had some great players and definitely deserved it.”
His only other at-bat came in the top of the eighth, and Gimenez popped out to shortstop, leaving him with an 0-for-2 night but not a disappointing experience.
“In a normal game I would have walked twice, but you don’t want to walk in an All-Star game,” Gimenez said. “I got a little out of my zone. That’s the way it goes sometimes. It’s just the way the cookie crumbles. I got to play in front of family and I couldn’t have asked for more.”
When the game ended, the stadium lights dimmed and a free fireworks show began.
Gimenez, however, climbed into stands and was met by his younger brother Todd, 22, and a mass of satisfied family and friends.
“He just told me he was proud of me,” Gimenez said of his brother.
He hugged members of his contingency and they told him how much they loved him as “oohs” and “ahhs” of the crowd’s reaction to the fireworks erupted all around him.
Gimenez stayed in the stands for roughly 20 minutes before walking back to the clubhouse.
Pam said she and the family were considering flying to North Carolina to see him play later this season but said she would hold off on making any specific plans, citing that Chris could get moved up to double-A Akron by then – and maybe even further by next season.
“I hate to make these plans definite because he might not be there when the time comes,” she said. “He’s already done a lot. It’s not easy out there. These kids don’t make any money. They are always on the road. So it would be great for him to make it to the majors.”
Chris Gimenez in the majors? Wouldn’t that just be his luck.
