Catcher Travis d’Arnaud (34-Atlanta), who helped Atlanta win the World Series in 2021, thanked his former Tampa Bay teammate, Ji-Man Choi (32-Pittsburgh).

“When I first joined Tampa Bay (in 2019), it was a tough time for me mentally and physically,” Dano told StarNews from the clubhouse at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. However, Choi and some of his teammates were very kind to me and made it easy for me to adapt to the team,” he recalled. “Choi, in particular, went out of his way to help me integrate into the team by coming up to me and talking to me, doing funny dances in the dugout, and making me laugh.”토토사이트

After making his major league debut with the New York Mets in 2013, Dano seemed to establish himself as the starting catcher, appearing in 108 games in 2014 and 112 games in 2017. But after playing just four games in 2018 due to injury and showing no signs of rebounding in 2019, the Mets released him after just 10 games to start the season.

Moved to the Dodgers in May of the same year, Dano appeared in just one game as a pinch-hitter before being shipped back to Tampa Bay via trade. This was because Tampa Bay’s starting catcher at the time, Mike Zunino (32-FA), was out with an injury. At the time, most people assumed that once Zunino returned, Dano would suffer another release.

They were wrong. Dano continued to prove his worth with home runs in limited opportunities. On July 15 of that year, he hit three home runs in a single game against the New York Yankees. Six days later, he hit his first career grand slam against the Chicago White Sox in a 4-2 victory.

In a recent phone interview with Star News, Choi said, “At the time, Dano was living for a day. After Junino came back, his hitting didn’t pick up, so the team decided to use him one more time, and he hit home runs at crucial moments to help the team win and eventually survive the season.”

Travis d’Arnaud in action. /AFPBBNews=News1
Dano rebounded in 2019 with Tampa Bay, batting .263 with 16 homers and 67 RBIs in 92 games. He was able to sign a sweet two-year, $16 million deal with Atlanta that winter.

It didn’t stop there. During the 2021 season, Atlanta gave Dano a two-year, $16 million extension through this season. It also includes a team option for the 2024 season. Barring a major slump this season, Dano is expected to remain with Atlanta next year, earning an $8 million salary.

After rebounding from a “cliffhanger” in 2019, Dano earned a four-year, $32 million deal in Atlanta, where he won the 2021 World Series and was named to his first All-Star team last year. It was a “life-changing” deal that brought him both money and fame.

“Tampa Bay was a turning point in my baseball career,” Dano said. “I still get giddy thinking about it. But I’m glad it worked out,” he smiled.

Dano missed about a month on the disabled list with a concussion earlier this season, but since returning to the team in early May, he’s been on an Altoran-like tear. As of June 26, he was batting .283 (32-for-113) with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 31 games. His OPS, which combines slugging and on-base percentage, is also excellent at .839.

“I don’t have any personal goals like batting average or home runs,” he said. “My only goal is to finish the season healthy so I’m always ready to go when the team needs me.”