A year after his mother’s death, Senzatela pitches on Mother’s Day

DENVER—Every now and then, Colorado Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela can still hear his mom's voice when he's on the field.

The voice he used to hear above all other voices as a kid: "Let's go, baby!" she'd scream in Spanish. He misses those comforting words. Nidya Yusbelis Rondon never got the chance to see her son pitch in the majors, passing away last July of breast cancer in Venezuela. But he carries her spirit when he takes the mound, with "Nidya" stitched on his cleats and glove. He also scribbled "I love Nidya"—with a heart—in black marker inside his cap.

Then there's this: He will get the start on Mother's Day.

"She's watching me," the 22-year-old Senzatela said. "I know she is."

Senzatela's family was all about baseball. His dad bought him his first glove when he was a baby growing up in Valencia, Venezuela. His grandfather, a carpenter, made him a tiny wooden bat he used as a child.

And his mom, of course, was always the fixture—the one yelling from the stands. The one who greeted him after good games or bad with a big plate of chicken and rice. She was the one he could always talk to.

Starting out, he was a third baseman. His favorite players, though, were pitchers—Seattle flamethrower Felix Hernandez and standout Josh Beckett.

Given his cannon for a right arm, Senzatela was asked to switch to pitcher. No, he said. It could lead to a pro career, he was told, given his blazing fastball. He grudgingly conceded. "Yeah. It was a good move," he laughed.