Torrealba opens up about son’s kidnapping

A catcher with a job. A catcher without a country.
 

That describes the newest member of the Padres, veteran catcher Yorvit Torrealba.

Proud, quiet, a leader and a confidante. That describes the intangibles the 31-year-old catcher brought to San Diego from the Colorado Rockies.

Scared, concerned and unhappy are words to describe the private life of the veteran ballplayer, dating back to last summer.

His former Colorado Rockies, trying to survive an early-season managerial crisis, put themselves back in the pennant race in June. The team caught fire.

Torrealba, meanwhile, put himself on a plane and headed home to deal with a different crisis — a fire in the pit of his stomach.

The Rockies were trying to save their season. Torrealba was trying to save his son’s life.

In a sit-down interview with SDNN, the major league catcher detailed the June disappearance of Eduardo, his 12-year old son, kidnapped by five men in his hometown of Caracas, Venezuela.

“There are no right words to describe my anger, my hate, my concerns that first week of June,” Torrealba said.

Baseball and soccer stars are icons in that country. But they are also targets.

Torrealba was devastated someone would take a child and hold him for ransom, but acknowledged that hostage taking has become a way of life in Venezuela — among other ills.

“My son gave them a phone number of my wife, and they called to begin negotiations,” Torrealba said. “It was three days but felt like 300.”

The initial ransom demand was $500,000. A day later the price dropped to $300,000. The third day of conversation brought a price tag of $50,000.

The major league catcher — a popular figure in his hometown — was ready to make a deal. His wife was to deliver the money with the child to be released. Hours before the drop, police arrested two of the kidnappers through an anonymous tip and freed Eduardo.

[Continue Reading From Hacksaw: Torrealba opens up about son’s kidnapping]