LOS ANGELES — The bittersweet irony of his season is not lost on Yorvit Torrealba.
“What I went through was not easy,” the Rockies catcher said in the cramped visitors’ clubhouse at Dodger Stadium. “But I couldn’t let that ruin my year, I just couldn’t. It gave me motivation to work harder. It gave me new perspective. I think it made me a better player.”
Friday night, the rejuvenated Torrealba came through again, cranking a two-run double in the first inning, setting the stage for the Rockies’ 4-3 victory over the Dodgers.
Torrealba’s story, with its nightmare first chapter and fairy-tale ending, reads like a far-fetched Hollywood screenplay.
On June 2, his 11-year-old son, Yorvit Eduardo, and two of the boy’s uncles were kidnapped from a car in the Venezuelan city of Guarenas. Although all three were returned safe and sound, Torrealba’s life was thrown into chaos. He didn’t eat for days. He didn’t feel like himself for weeks. Baseball became an afterthought. It was more than a month before he rejoined the Rockies.
But as the Rockies made their final, successful push to the postseason, Torrealba’s presence became essential. He started 23 of 28 games in September. He sat out Saturday because of a tight hamstring, but the team is confident he’ll be ready for the playoffs.
A backup to Chris Iannetta and an offensive afterthought early in the season, Torrealba has become the Rockies’ ARM — automatic run machine — when it has mattered most.
“I don’t know if I sensed anything different about Yorvit after the kidnapping, but I certainly have seen it on the field,” manager Jim Tracy said. “This is a guy who just seems to take on a different personality in big games. He’s a different guy now than the one we saw catching Sunday afternoon games in May.”
Entering September, Torrealba had 14 RBIs — for the season. Since then, he’s driven in 17 and hit .310. He’s hitting .488 (21-for-43) with runners in scoring position this season.
“Yorvit’s been huge,” shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. “Without him, we probably aren’t in the position we are in today. Once he took over behind the plate, we got better as a team. That’s not saying anything bad about Chris, but Yorvit got the hot hand and he’s kept producing.”
On Sept. 11 in San Diego, he roped a ninth-inning double off Padres closer Heath Bell, lifting Colorado to a 4-1 victory. On Sept. 25, Torrealba hit a walkoff sacrifice fly in a 2-1 win over the Cardinals.
Big moments in late summer and early fall aren’t anything new for Torrealba. In the Rockies’ 11 playoff games in 2007, he drove in eight runs, tied for second on the team.
“I don’t know why, to be honest with you, but I definitely want to be up there in big situations,” he said.
Torrealba’s resurgence cannot be attributed solely to the perspective he gained after his son’s ordeal. He’s also refined his approach at the plate.
“Offensively, I just quit trying to hit home runs,” said Torrealba, who has just two this season. “I started to use the big part of the field. I’m concentrating on quality at-bats and trying to see good pitches, not hit the ball over the fence.”
Even when Torrealba was struggling at the plate, he was invaluable behind it. Tracy loves how Torrealba calls games and handles the pitching staff.
“He’s taught me how to be a better pitcher,” said left-hander Jorge De La Rosa, who entered his Saturday start with a team-high 16 victories. “I trust him.”
Torrealba prods De La Rosa with a combination of fire, brimstone and humor.
“He’s always getting on me, trying to make me focused,” De La Rosa said. “But sometimes he’ll make me laugh and it makes me be not so tense.”
No other Rockie, save for perhaps Tulowitzki, plays with as much outward emotion as Torrealba. He routinely pumps his fists after a big hit, glares at umpires on perceived blown calls and chastises pitchers when they walk batters.
“I don’t know if that’s good or if it’s bad, that’s just the way I am,” Torrealba said. “I’m just an emotional player, and I have been ever since I was a little kid. But I think my teammates understand me. They know how much I want to win. That means a lot, especially this year.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
Season of change
Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba’s 2009 season has been marked by extreme highs and lows:
April: Plays sparingly behind Chris Iannetta, getting just four hits in 20 at-bats.
June: On June 2, his 11-year-old son, Yorvit Eduardo, and two of the boy’s uncles are kidnapped in Venezuela. Although they are returned safely, Torrealba misses playing time the rest of the month.
August: With Iannetta slumping, Torrealba gets his chance to play. He begins a 16-game hitting streak that is the longest ever by a Rockies catcher.
September: Starts 23 of 28 games, hits .313 with five doubles and drives in 15 runs. Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
