Here's the story behind Est¨¦vez's new save celebration
Todd Zolecki
@ToddZoleckiThis story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki¡¯s Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Carlos Estévez vanquished another opponent on Wednesday night in Toronto, just like he vanquished his opponents from Atlanta twice last weekend at Citizens Bank Park.
He celebrated on the mound. He charged up a Kamehameha sphere between his hands. He let it fly.
¡°I felt like doing a Kamehameha would be a cool thing,¡± Est¨¦vez said Wednesday afternoon at Rogers Centre. ¡°And it is.¡±
Don¡¯t know what a Kamehameha (pronounced ka-may-ha-may-ha) is? Then you don¡¯t know Dragon Ball Z. Est¨¦vez does. He has been a fan of Japanese anime for years, including Naruto and One Piece. But he is particularly fond of Dragon Ball Z, which follows the character Goku and his companions as they defend Earth against evil.
Est¨¦vez loves the show so much that the top shelf of his locker at Citizens Bank Park is filled with Dragon Ball Z figurines.
¡°People say they are cartoons or whatever,¡± Est¨¦vez said. ¡°OK, but there is a lot of learning in anime. For example, in Dragon Ball Z, you learn about hard work. Like, things are not going to play out if you don¡¯t do the work. If you put [your mind to it] and you work hard, it¡¯s going to pay off. So, you¡¯ve got to train hard. To stay in baseball for a long time, you need to train really hard, you know? That¡¯s one thing I get from anime.
¡°My favorite character is Gohan, who is the son of Goku. He was weak, but he had a lot of hidden powers, so he had to train. He never wanted to train. Once he learned that people depended on him, he trained to get stronger.¡±
Est¨¦vez said he has plenty of motivation in real life to work hard, but he finds the themes of the show relatable. For example, only after extensive training can a character perform a Kamehameha, which is an energy blast used to defeat opponents.
¡°Master Roshi is a main character,¡± Est¨¦vez said. ¡°He¡¯s the one who teaches everyone -- how to train hard, how to learn, how to have fun, how to hold each other accountable, how to be a great fighter. Those are the things he teaches. For you to make a Kamehameha, you¡¯ve got to have all those things -- and then he will teach you to do it.
¡°They use it to finish off the bad guy. I was like, 'That¡¯s perfect.'¡±
The Phillies acquired Est¨¦vez from the Angels on July 27 leading up to the Trade Deadline. He became the closer, allowing manager Rob Thomson to use top relievers Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, Jos¨¦ Alvarado and Orion Kerkering in different parts of the game.
It has worked. Est¨¦vez is 2-1 with a 1.72 ERA and four saves in 14 appearances with the Phillies, striking out 16 and walking four in 15 2/3 innings.
If the Phillies keep winning, Est¨¦vez might see fans in the stands doing the Kamehameha in October.
He smiled at the idea.
¡°That would be great,¡± he said.