Adrián González had a 15-year career as a Major League Baseball player, punctuated by two five-year stints with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers—including numerous Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, and All-Star selections—as well as seasons in which Adrián led the entire MLB in hits and RBI. In this episode, Adrián tells his story. From the challenges of learning English growing up between Mexico and San Diego, emerging as a baseball star at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, and then being drafted #1 overall in 2000 by the Florida Marlins. Adrián also discusses many of the innovations occurring in baseball, including the pitch clock, infield shift, advanced analytics, and AI umpiring—in addition to the pride Adrián has felt as a Mexican American athlete representing southern California. Adrián references Zoila Madrazo of Burton C. Tiffany Elementary School, Dave Gonzalez of Eastlake High School, Manny Crespo of the Florida Marlins, and Bruce Bochy of the San Diego Padres as profound teachers and coaches along his personal and athletic journey.
Up Next in Season 6
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Episode 74: Bear Ride
Bear Ride ’71 is the only sister of astronaut and American hero, Sally Ride ’68, who in 1983 became the first American woman in space. In this episode, Bear tells Sally’s story—but also her own, which includes “breaking ground” in her own right as a female and openly gay Presbyterian minister. Th...
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Episode 75: Steve Chung
In the fall of 2026, Harvard-Westlake will open River Park (www.hwriverpark.com), a new campus dedicated to athletics, wellness, community partnership, and environmental sustainability. What you may not know, however, is that River Park was designed by a graduate, Steve Chung ’89, the Global Prac...
