Kicking the Odds: Teheran Leads a Baseball Revolution in Soccer-Happy Colombia

Braves starter Julio Teheran wanted to find a better life for his family and chase his dream. But how does a kid in soccer-happy Colombia make it to the major leagues?

The first athletes that come to mind when discussing Colombia are soccer stars Carlos Valderrama, Faustino Asprilla and Rene Higuita. Some still associate the country with the drug trade as well because of the legacy of the late drug lord Pablo Escobar. But for Teheran, establishing baseball as a sport for kids to pursue is an important mission.

“[Colombia is] more than drugs,” he said. “I know people think that when you talk about Colombia, it’s just [about] drugs. That’s something that was there in the past, but I don’t think the country is like that anymore. The country’s safe now and people are going to get to know the beautiful things, the beautiful cities we have there. The beautiful people, the culture that we have.”

Teheran credits his parents for insulating him from the bad aspects of the culture that were prevalent when he was a child, pushing him towards baseball as a safe space. When he saw a future for himself in the sport he committed himself to the dream.

Heroes Needed

Teheran was five when Edgar Rentería made his debut with the Marlins as a teenager in 1996. The following year Rentería was a World Series hero for the Marlins. He was a hero once again on the game’s biggest stage in 2010 when the Giants won a championship. This time Rentería was named the Most Valuable Player in the World Series.

While Rentería was the biggest baseball name to emerge from Colombia, the list of big leaguers wasn’t long.

When Teheran made his major league debut in 2011 he became just the 10th player from Colombia to make it to the bigs. Only two pitchers – Emiliano Fruto and Ernesto Frieri – had appeared in a major league game before him. So identifying baseball heroes to follow wasn’t an easy task.

“Rentería was one of the people that I was following,” he said. “And every time he came home after a season, the people received him with love and that’s something that I wanted as a kid.”

Becoming a role model

In 2014, Teheran took the mound as Atlanta’s Opening Day starter. He has received the call for the season’s first game each of the past six seasons – the longest active streak for any starter and team.

The honor of starting Opening Day has encouraged Teheran to continue working to reward the confidence Atlanta’s front office showed in him with a six-year contract in 2014. Being a role model for kids back home drives him as well.

“It’s a great honor and at the same time it’s a responsibility,” Teheran said. “I know that little kids that are back at home they are watching me, they’re watching us right now, the same way I watched Rentería when I was a little kid. That was my example to follow. And I just want to be that person to follow for them on TV.”

Since Teheran joined the Braves the list of players from Colombia in the majors has grown significantly. On the first anniversary of Teheran’s major league debut, José Quintana made his first big league appearance for the Chicago White Sox. Quintana, now with the Cubs, is one of six pitchers to follow Teheran to the majors.

“To be Colombian means to be proud,” Teheran said. “I’m proud to represent my country, proud to represent what we are right now, and there’s not a lot of bad things like there were in the past. Colombia is a better country, and it’s a great honor to be representing my country here.”

Featured Image: Julio Teheran Instagram

Inset Image: Mike Stobe / Getty Images Sport