YANKEE second baseman Alfonso Soriano is one of the most talented players in the game. The 25-year old infielder, with a sweet swing and swift feet, has had two remarkable, record-breaking seasons back to back.
In September, the Dominican native broke the record for most home runs to lead off a game – ripping his 13th such dinger. Soriano confides that his extraordinary achievements have not sunk in. “I think I’ll be able to enjoy everything when I am on vacation,” he said in Spanish from his home in Fort Lee, N.J. “For now, I have to focus on the game.” We caught up with the shy slugger hours before the start of the Yankee-Red Sox series: What do you do when you are not playing ball? Watch movies and go dancing. I love dancing, it relaxes me.
To what kind of music?
Merengue, salsa and hip-hop.
Word on the street is you’re an awesome merengue dancer.
(Laughs) Really? I can handle my own.
Who are your favorite artists?
Ah, I love all the merengueros, but Toño Rosario is the best, I also like [salsa singer] Victor Manuel and [the rapper] Nelly.
You look really good in the photos we shot of you. Like you were having fun posing.
(Laughing) Gracias. Maybe I can moonlight as a model.
I hear you are into fashion, that you like dressing sharp when you are not in Yankee pinstripes.
I like designs by Rafael Scott; he is a designer in Los Angeles.
I hear that you love to eat. What is your favorite food?
Hey, I am Dominicano. What do you think? Rice, beans and carne, meat.
What about a girlfriend?
(Laughing and sighing) I want to leave that un secreto. Let’s talk about baseball.
OK, what legacy do you want to leave behind?
I want to break records. I want to be a Hall of Famer.
What player did you most admire as a kid? I really looked up to Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Fernandez.
What about now? Whom do you want to emulate? Umm, no one really. Me, Alfonso Soriano.
Who’s your best amigo on the team? Derek Jeter, Nick Johnson and the Latino players, Bernie Williams and Enrique Wilson.
Does Jeter teach you English? Yes. He’s been very good to me. You’re going to be a free agent soon. With the kind of season you’re having, you’re going to get more money than Alex Rodriguez.
Ah, that is just too much. Well then how much are you worth? How much do you want?
That is something that my agents will have to work out. But I would like to stay in New York, con los Yankees.
What animal would you compare yourself to on the field? A lion, ferocious.
What about off the field? I am humble and shy.
Even with the señoritas? With the whole world. If you don’t start a conversation with me, it’s very hard for me to start a conversation.
Not too many people know that you played in Japan. Yes, the first time I went to Japan, I was 16. It was hard. I was so young. It was the first time I left my family. . . I missed them so much . . . I was away from them for two years. And . . . the food was different, the language. There weren’t many morenos, blacks like me. But . . . part of being in the business is having to be away from my family. I am handling that better.
And now you speak Japanese. I heard you speak better Japanese than English. (Laughing) Sí, sí.
How did you feel when you broke the leadoff home run record?
At the precise moment, it didn’t hit me. I felt it the next day, when all the players were congratulating me.
I hear that you are very close to your mother. Yes, we talk almost every day.
OK, so now will you tell me about that special woman in your life? Ah, no, bella, you are going to have to come in person and ask.