This post was written by Manny Alvarez ’20, who was part of the Fall 2018 New York Semester cohort.
Since a very young age, my dream was to make it to the show: Major League Baseball. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, baseball was in my blood. It was my culture. Sadly, I was not able to achieve this dream, but little did I know that MLB was in my future. After being in New York City a few weeks into the program, I was invited to have an interview at Major League Baseball Headquarters in Manhattan. Still to this day, I can feel the huge smile on my face from cheek to cheek. It was amazing to walk into a building with so much memorabilia and history, and this was a dream I did not want to wake up from. At the door, I was greeted by a familiar face and a fellow Dominican, Nelson Tejada, who little did I know became my role model. In just a few days, I got a call back that changed my life. I was interning for MLB’s Department of Investigations.
MLB Investigations is made up of essentially private detectives for the specific purpose of policing the league. We conduct internal investigations of baseball personal such as players, staffs, teams, umpires and anyone involved with MLB to make sure that all rules are being followed and that the game is played fairly. As an intern, I was able to help out with many investigations by supporting confidential background investigations, writing interview reports, and monitoring player activities.
My experience at MLB was amazing, and I am so grateful to have worked with the Investigation crew. I was surrounded by baseball 24/7, great people, and the greatest plus of them all, it was the year that the Red Sox won the World Series! Everyone was friendly and received me with open arms. I was comfortable and felt like I belonged from the start. I will greatly miss working at MLB and living in NYC, but it is only an “until later” and not a goodbye! MLB was not the only highlight of the NYC Semester! What I loved the most of the Semester away from the Hill was the family that was created between the 2018 NYC semester gang created. From our funny moments to our astonishing adventures, the semester would not have been the same.
