How mother's request changed Ortiz's life

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Luis Ortiz headed home to San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic to comfort his grieving mother, who was mourning the loss of her mother. His life was going through a pretty seismic change around that time too, but that was secondary to being there for his family.

His mother, Damaris, was more worried about him, though. Crying, she had one request:

“Can you please play baseball for one more week?”

Ortiz had just given up on his dream of pitching in the Major Leagues shortly before his grandmother passed, frustrated after being let go by several teams. Now 19 years old, he was ready to start a new chapter, but agreed to give it one more week.

He was discovered by the Pirates shortly thereafter and signed. His career had a second life.

“When I signed, I promised I was not going to let her down,” Ortiz said, via Pirates interpreter and coach Stephen Morales. “I was going to do whatever possible to put her in a good spot.”

Ortiz has done just that. When the right-hander finally landed stateside, he rapidly rose through the ranks of professional baseball, going from Single-A Bradenton at the end of the 2021 season to pitching in Yankee Stadium in September of '22. Now 25, Ortiz has grown into one of the team’s most talented young pitchers who is poised to be part of their staff for years to come.

He owes that to his mother for giving him a second chance to follow his dream. In fact, he wouldn’t have had that first chance without her either.

Ortiz loved playing growing up, but had to give it up when he was 15. His family needed money and baseball was too much of a luxury at the time, so he got into construction and started picking oranges at Hato Mayor.

“There was no money [in baseball],” Ortiz said. “The money situation in my family was pretty bad.”

Damaris wanted him to pursue his dream, though, and after Ortiz moved in with her about two years later, she had taken jobs working in a factory and housekeeping. She was determined to give him that shot.

“She was doing everything in her power to get me that little bit of money to get me back to baseball,” Ortiz said.

It worked. Ortiz quit his jobs and signed with the Giants, but the jump to pro ball was not kind. He played the infield as a child, but wanted to go pro as a pitcher. The Giants gave him that chance, but after about nine months, they let him go.

Ortiz bounced around a couple Dominican Academies in the following year to similar results. He had talent, but it wasn’t coming together, and after the Brewers let him go, he was convinced it was time to go back to construction and the orange fields.

“I love baseball, it’s what I wanted to do, but it was rough,” Ortiz said.

Had it not been for his grandmother passing, that likely would have been the end of his baseball journey. Instead, he found himself with the Pirates in October of 2018. They were more patient than the other teams had been. Ortiz was more motivated, too, and he grew into more fastball ve5locity. After he started throwing both a four-seam and two-seam fastball, his career started to take off.

“All those other experiences with the other teams helped me grow a lot,” Ortiz said. “I knew I had a willpower to make sure this time was the right time. Focus on hard work. That’s what got me here.”

Damaris and Ortiz’s father, Luis Antonio, watch every start he makes and text him afterwards. There should be plenty of starts to come, especially since Ortiz has elevated himself from the bullpen to being part of the regular rotation for most of the season.

That success he’s enjoyed in his first full Major League season -- he posted a 3.22 ERA in 15 starts after beginning the year in the bullpen -- is a product of his hard work, but also the support he has from his loved ones.

“My family has been a huge part of my career,” Ortiz said. “They’re always pushing me to be the best. There’s some other [people] that try to put negative stuff in your mind and that you’re not going to make it and you’re going to go back to work at home. It has been a tough road, but I’m really grateful that my family is still here for me.”