.png)
MORE THAN A NAME
Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez is gifted, hard-working, and driven to make the folks back home proud
By Jerry Crasnick
It’s hard to watch Phillies pitcher Seranthony Dominguez when he’s on a roll -- pumping 98 mph fastballs with ease and mixing in unhittable sliders -- and imagine him doing anything but throwing a baseball for a living. But his transition from self-conscious teenager to standout big league reliever is a tad more complicated than that.
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Dominguez was overweight and slow afoot. When he was 13 years old, he attended a tryout camp where one of the coaches asked him what position he played. He had a strong arm and knew his lack of speed on the bases was a detriment, so he volunteered to pitch.
“Every time I went to the field to practice or play ball, people would tell me that I didn’t have a chance because I was overweight,’’ Dominguez said. “Sometimes in life, when people tell you things to bring you down,
you can use that as motivation.
That’s what I did.’’
Dominguez signed with Philadelphia at 16 and spent more than six seasons in the minors before making an instant splash with the big club in 2019. He struck out 74 batters in 58 innings while recording 16 saves as a rookie before a right elbow reconstruction forced him to go back to square one.
Dominguez persevered, and he was thriving in his role as Philadelphia’s closer this season when triceps soreness forced him onto the injured list for three weeks in August and September. He has struggled to regain his command since his return, and he sat in the bullpen and watched as Jose Alvarado and Zach Eflin closed out Philadelphia’s wild card-clinching victory over Houston on Tuesday.
As the Phillies take part in postseason play for the first time since 2011, Dominguez’s short-term role is unclear. He did not make an appearance in Philadelphia's 6-3 Wild Card Series victory over St. Louis on Friday. But he’s too talented, industrious and driven to succeed to let a short-term blip deter him from his long-range goals.
“You’ve got 100 mph sinkers, so that’s god-given right there,’’ said Phillies reliever Andrew Bellatti. “But you can see it in his everyday work. He’s running almost every day, and that’s just the beginning of it.’’
Like so many of the nearly 70 Dominicans who appeared on MLB Opening Day rosters this season, Dominguez gravitated to baseball as a way to help his family overcome humble means. He was born and raised in Esperanza, a town of roughly 70,000 in the Valverde province. His father, Guillermo, is a dairy farmer, and Seranthony, the oldest of six children, worked at a car wash and on a chicken farm as a boy to help the family make ends meet.
After his parents saw a character named “Seranthony’’ on a TV show, they decided to confer the regal-sounding designation upon their first-born. Dominguez, who has a brother named Chrisanthony, came to regard the name as a gift because of the sense of uniqueness it bestowed upon him.
“It’s pretty cool, because I don’t know any other Seranthonys,’’ he said. “That’s why.’’
The family lived near a ballfield, and young Seranthony spent hours there honing his skills, often until sunset. He was grateful to have a baseball glove and content to fashion one from a milk carton when the real thing was unavailable. Dominican native Pedro Martinez was a favorite of the neighborhood kids, and they would rush home to watch his games on television whenever the opportunity arose.
After Dominguez left the Phillies’ Dominican Summer League for the Gulf Coast League in Florida in 2019, he struggled with homesickness. But he took English classes to help him acclimate to his new world, and he is now comfortable doing media interviews in his second language, with assistance here and there from Phillies translator Diego Ettedgui.
“It was hard at the beginning because I had never been away from my family,’’ he said. “So at times, I was depressed. But I was mature enough to say, ‘God blessed me with this talent. I have to take advantage of it because I come from a poor family that needs some help and is working to live day by day. The least I can do is try and make this sacrifice worth it.’ ’’
Dominguez stared down a major obstacle in 2020-21 when he experienced elbow problems during the Covid pandemic that eventually required surgery. Even when his then-girlfriend and now wife, Sarahi, was pregnant back home in the Dominican, he dealt with the swirl of emotions and focused on returning from the Tommy John procedure as quickly as possible.
“The trainers told me that when he went home at night, he would have three baseball games on at once -- the Phillies game and two others. One on his phone, one on his iPad, and one on TV,’’ said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “He’s a baseball nut. He loves the moment. I don’t know where that comes from. He just does.’’
Dominguez likes to keep things simple. When he’s not at Citizens Bank Park or on the road, he is content to spend quiet time at home with Sarahi and their two young sons, Saimon and Sander. If he has any insights for young Dominican players navigating the same path, it’s the importance of staying patient and keeping the faith.
“It’s not going to be easy,’’ he said. “Nothing in your life is going to be easy. You have to work and give your best effort. There are going to be a lot of challenges, if you’re a hitter or a pitcher. You’re going to have bad days. But you’re going to have good days, too. You’re going to grow up as a person, a player and a teammate, and you’re going to make your parents and your friends be proud of you.’’
