Inside The Pinstripes

Jasson Dominguez Sends Emphatic Message to Yankees Fans

Recent call-up Jasson Dominguez penned an emotional message to Yankees fans on Monday.

Grant Young

Sep 9, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jasson Dominguez (89) follows through on a single against the Kansas City Royals during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Sep 9, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jasson Dominguez (89) follows through on a single against the Kansas City Royals during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The Jasson Dominguez Era in New York City has arrived.

Dominguez was called up to the Yankees on Monday and started in center field against the Kansas City Royals, giving Aaron Judge an opportunity to DH. The 21-year-old super-prospect went 1 for 4 with a single and a run scored in the 10-4 win.

Earlier on Monday, The Players' Tribune posted an essay written by Dominguez that was titled, "A Message for New York". And if Yankees fans weren't already ecstatic about him getting the call, this message will get them there.

Dominguez began the essay by writing, "There’s this Dominican saying. It’s one of my favorites. It goes something like, “Tanto nadar para morir en la orilla.”

"It basically means, “So much swimming just to die on the shore.” It’s about the hard work somebody has to put in just to get a chance to accomplish their dreams," he continued.

He then discussed the mental battles he endured amid suffering an elbow injury last season and an oblique injury earlier this year. But he overcame those hurdles with the help of many positive messages and support from Yankees fans.

"And it just flipped a switch in me like, Nah … I am done feeling bad for myself. I’m done thinking I’m cursed. I’m done with all that negativity," Dominguez wrote.

"I don’t know what the future holds.… But I can promise you one thing. 

"I didn’t come this far just to die on the shore."

Dominguez then told a story about how he was a "benchwarmer" as an 8-year-old in the Dominican Republic before his dad gave him a pep talk that changed his entire outlook and ensuing work ethic with baseball.

He discussed how he cried the night before he signed with the Yankees in 2019, explained how his parents are his heroes, discussed the trials and tribulations of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then relayed a great story about an interaction with one current Yankees superstar.

"And a few years later, in 2023, I was sitting in the cafeteria at Yankee spring training in Tampa. It was my first big league camp. I was nervous getting there, you know, with all the great players on the team. I had just got done eating lunch, and my finished plate was still on the table. I hear somebody go, “You done with that?” And I look up, and it’s Aaron Judge. He grabs my plate, takes it over and scrapes it into the garbage and puts it on the counter. I completely froze up. Like, Aaron Judge … just … cleaned my plate for me," Dominguez wrote.

Dominguez ended the moving essay with three poignant paragraphs.

"And playing in the Bronx for the first time… I felt your energy," Dominguez wrote. "Wearing the pinstripes. Hearing my name called, hitting a home run at the stadium? The best. The best. I think about getting back to that moment all the time. It’s all I want. It’s what I work for every day. Getting hurt, and getting hurt again … it just made me work harder. Because I know you can’t take anything for granted.

"The deal I signed when I was 16? That was a long time ago. The home run I hit in Houston? Same thing. I don’t want to be the future, or the past. I want to be the right now. Tanto nadar para morir en la orilla," he continued.

"I know this season has had its ups and downs. I get that the expectations are high. I feel the same way. To be honest, when I signed with the Yankees, the only thing I knew about them was that they were  “The best team in the world.” I don’t know if it was true at that moment, but I believed it was. And I want to help make you believe again, too," he concluded.

Dominguez will already become a fan favorite after Yankees fans read this essay. Imagine the hero he'll be if he helps propel the Yankees to World Series glory.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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