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2010: Neris signed as a free agent with the Phillies, out of the Dominican Republic.
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August 3, 2014: Hector was called up to the Majors for the first time.
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Neris smiles all of the time, it seems. He has been called "the happiest man in baseball." And his nickname is "Happy Hector."
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They say there's no crying in baseball, but Hector broke the rule when he learned he was being called up to the Phillies.
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs had beaten Durham 4-1 in a game that ended at 9:30 p.m. In the clubhouse and training room, where Neris was going through his post-game routine, the televisions were tuned into the Phillies game.
The Phillies game finished just before 10:30 p.m. Neris's postgame treatment was taking longer than usual, not by accident. Unbeknownst to him, the Lehigh Valley coaching staff plus trainer Chris Mudd and strength and conditioning coach Dong Lien all had a hand in stalling him.
The Phillies had decided to option Phillippe Aumont back to the IronPigs. Neris was the choice to replace him. But Aumont had to find out in Washington D.C., before Neris could find out in Allentown. "I knew there needed to be a little bit of a grace period after the ballgame," Brundage said.
Lien and Mudd took their time with Neris in the training room, finally sending him to Brundage's office soon after the Phillies had finished. The only problem was Neris' ride home, Garcia, was sitting in the parking lot texting Neris to hurry up.
Neris entered Brundage's office, only to have his manager tell him, "I gotta shower real quick." Pitching coach Ray Burris talked to Neris while Brundage took his time showering and changing. Finally, they were all ready for a talk.
"We got around to talking about all kinds of things about the running game and holding runners and pitching and strong points and weaknesses and things he needs to improve on," Brundage said.
Brundage then thanked Neris for coming in and sent him on his way, headed out to a patient Garcia in the car. But before he got there, Brundage ran down the hallway after him and told him Burris had one more thing to talk about.
"So he came back in and I let Ray tell him. He said 'Oh yeah, we forgot to tell you that you're going to the big leagues tomorrow,'" Brundage said.
"The look on his face was exactly why I know what I do as a job. It was fun because the emotions obviously came out. It goes to show you how much they love this game and how much it means to them. His expressions throughout were in absolute disbelief."
In case it didn't fully register the first time, Burris told him again: "You're going to the Major Leagues tomorrow." As reality set in, Neris let his emotions get the best of him.
"He felt like he needed to hide his face because the emotions and everything like that," Brundage said. "He didn't want to look but it was OK. It's perfectly natural. It just means you care a lot. It was absolutely phenomenal."
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After a journey that included stops at every level of the Phillies' farm system, beginning in the Dominican Summer League, Neris made it to the top in 2014.
"It's fun because you get guys that come through the system and I think a lot of different people have had a hand in helping develop Hector Neris," the Phillies' Triple-A manager at Lehigh Valley, Dave Brundage said. "A lot of pitching coaches should be proud. I sent messages out last night. A lot of pitching coaches have had a hand in helping develop Hector Neris.
"You got a young man from Latin America who doesn't speak any English (when he was signed in 2010). And where he's gone from way back then to last night is why we do what we do in the minor leagues. It's why we care so much and help develop. Things like last night really put things in perspective."
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2017: Hector represented the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
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Hector has a filthy baseball cap. He knows this, but Neris said that he has no plans to clean the old one or use a new one. Neris' cap is covered so much with rosin—the front is smeared with white residue—that the Dodgers asked the home-plate umpire to inspect it for any illegal substances in a September 2017 game with the Phillies.
Other than rosin, the cap was clean. "This is the same hat I've used all year," Neris said. "Every time I touched my hat, it was dirty, and when I put the rosin on my hat where it was dirty, it turned colors. And it was sweaty."
Neris said he wasn't upset that the Dodgers asked. In fact, he seemed to expect it. And he seemed prepared for other teams to ask for an inspection the remainder of the season.
"As long as they say, 'All right, it's just dirty, there's nothing wrong,'" Neris said. "Then I don't have problems." (Zolecki - mlb.com - 9/19/17)
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July 17, 2019: Neris will appeal MLB’s three-game suspension and fine for intentionally hitting Dodgers first baseman David Freese. Neris drilled Freese in the middle of his back with a 95-mph fastball after he allowed a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to pinch-hitter Matt Beaty to hand the Dodgers a two-run lead. The Phillies scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to win the game, 9-8.
Neris and Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said afterward that the pitch was not intentional.
“I wanted to throw inside, and I hit him,” Neris said. “I didn’t hit him on purpose.”
Neris can continue to pitch until the matter is resolved, typically with a hearing.
Aug 1-4, 2019: Neris served his three-game suspension.
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September 12, 2019: The Phillies wanted to bring Héctor into the game, but he kept throwing and throwing before he finally left the bullpen. The Phillies said Neris has a new bullpen ritual, which requires extra warmup pitches. But Braves manager Brian Snitker has seen enough.
“They go out and get him, and he just keeps throwing. It’s probably something that’s going to need to be addressed in the future with the league,” Snitker said. “I mean, the guy is told to come, they don’t come in, they just keep throwing, there needs to be a consequence for that. If the reliever gets told to come in the game and he doesn’t come in the game, there needs to be a consequence for it.”
The Braves had runners on second and third with two outs in the eighth when Phillies manager Gabe Kapler wanted to make a pitching change. But first he gestured to J.T. Realmuto to visit the mound, indicating that he needed to buy Neris extra time. After home-plate umpire Roberto Ortiz broke up the extended mound conference, Kapler eventually emerged from the dugout to make a double-switch.
Still, Neris continued to throw warmup pitches in the bullpen. Second-base umpire Lance Barksdale started to make his way out to the bullpen before Neris finally emerged. The same thing happened September 5, 2019, in New York with umpire Ramon DeJesus making it all the way to the warning track before Neris finally left the bullpen.
“When the umpire has to go all the way out to the bullpen,” Snitker said. “I don’t know, I mean the guy just keeps throwing.”
Will Snitker reach out to the league? “It’s not my position,” Snitker said. “They see everything. I’ve got bigger fish to fry than that.” (Zolecki - mlb.com)
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June 5-6, 2021: Neris was on the paternity list.
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June 14-17, 2022: Neris had his four-game suspension reduced to three games after an appeal to Major League Baseball. The suspension began with the game against the Rangers. Neris wouldn't be available to return until June 17 against the White Sox in Houston, but the Astros will have to play shorthanded until he returns. He was suspended for throwing at Eugenio Suárez of the Mariners on July 6.
TRANSACTIONS
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2010: Neris signed as a free agent with the Phillies, out of the Dominican Republic.
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Jan 11, 2019: Hector and the Phillies avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.8 million.
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Oct. 30, 2020: Hector became a free agent.
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Dec 2, 2020: The Phillies agreed to a one-year contract with Neris for $5 million.
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Nov. 2, 2021: Neris became a free agent.
- Nov. 27, 2021: The Astros signed righty reliever Héctor Neris to a two-year contract for $17 million.