It’s a Father and Son Reunion in San Francisco

Back home in the Dominican Republic, a much younger Felipe Alou took a rock and threw it as far as he could into the sea. His teenage son, Moises, followed suit, and threw his rock nearly twice as far.

“I didn’t say anything. He didn’t say anything,” Felipe Alou recalled.

More than two decades later, Moises is the Giants’ new right fielder -- reunited with his father, the San Francisco manager, for what the men hope is two special seasons at the end of their careers.

“This is one of the years I’ve been looking forward to the most, coming back to play for my dad and play for a great team,” Moises said. “I’m 38, but you never stop learning in this game. I’m going to take advantage of watching him and listening to him.”

Felipe Alou married four times and fathered 11 children. Moises was born in Atlanta, where his dad played four of his 17 major league seasons. Felipe spent his adult life on the move from team to team and town to town, and Moises had limited time with his father.

They are determined to cherish their time together now. With subtle steps, they’re working to strengthen a father-son bond that never fully developed -- even when they were together previously in their careers.

Felipe managed his son in Montreal from 1992-96, but went out of his way to treat his son just like all of the other players he managed. That’s still the case to some degree: He typically refers to his son as “Moises Alou” or “Mo.”

But given the path both men have traveled, those days with the Expos seem ages ago.

“I’ve got to thank God for this reunion at the end of our careers here,” Felipe said. “But he’s not here to be together with me. This guy is here to do damage with his bat. He knows his way around the big leagues now maybe better than I do.”

Felipe and younger brothers Matty and Jesus made up an all-Alou outfield for the Giants for several games in 1963. Moises is thrilled that he is yet another Alou to play the position for this franchise.

“I’m very proud,” said Moises, a four-time All-Star and career .300 hitter. “Everywhere I go in the Dominican Republic, people ask about my dad and my uncle and tell me how they carried themselves off the field. It made me a better person and player.

“I just remember how proud I was whenever my dad picked me up at school. I want to show my dad I’m a lot better player than I was in Montreal.”

Since Moises always has been tall, he initially chose basketball over baseball. Few kids played baseball in the streets of their upscale Santo Domingo neighborhood of Naco.

Felipe eventually put Moises in the Manny Mota league, but “not with the intent of him being a player.” Moises later learned that his best ticket out of the Dominican Republic would be baseball. Just like his dad. And, as evidenced by his rock-throwing display, he was a natural.

Felipe is proud the Alou name has carried on this long in their sport.

“It’s a family legacy,” Felipe said. “The Alou legacy is a legacy in itself. I see all of us together being a force going through this game, and still going. The respect, I’m proud of that, and length of service.”

He and Moises want to bring a World Series title to the city where Felipe began his big league career in 1958. He believes he cost the Giants a championship four years later when he failed to get down a bunt in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 1962 Series.

It would have moved his brother, Matty, from first to second. The Giants lost the game 1-0 and the Series to the New York Yankees.

The organization hasn’t won it all since leaving New York after the 1957 season, falling six outs short in the 2002 World Series to Anaheim -- the season before Alou took over for Dusty Baker.

Owner Peter Magowan believes this team might be the best in his 12 years with the club. He couldn’t be more pleased with the timing of the Alou reunion.

“It’s very special,” Magowan said. “Felipe, I remember watching him as a player and he was a really good all-around baseball player. He started his career in San Francisco and is going to end his career as a Giant. I think that’s exactly appropriate. For him to be reunited with his son, who is also a great player, I think it’s just a real good story, a nice, warm story.”