Mike Moustakas, back in KC with Reds, shared sweet story about Ned Yost’s compassion
Mike Moustakas had some big highs and lows during his eight seasons with the Royals.
There were a pair of All-Star Game appearances and a World Series championship, but Moustakas also was demoted at one point and suffered a season-ending injury after playing just 27 games in the 2016 season.
That’s all job related, of course. The worst moment for Moustakas was the death of his mother, Connie, in the summer of 2015.
Moustakas, who is expected to be activated from the Cincinnati Reds’ injured list to play in Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Royals, shared a sweet story about former manager Ned Yost’s kindness during that difficult time.
“Ned pulled me in the office and he just sat there and hugged me and cried with me and told me how much he loved me, and I mean, he didn’t tell the boys anything, but everybody knew and everyone came up to me and was giving me hugs,” Moustakas said in June during an interview on KCSP (610 AM). “And I remember we were in Detroit when it happened, and Ned just pulled me the office and said to sit here for as long as you need and do whatever you need to do.
“Obviously in those times it’s tough but I don’t really remember everything that said but you know I just know he gave me one of the biggest hugs ever.
“And I don’t know if you’ve probably never had this, but C.Y., Chris Young, when his father passed away, he came up to me and gave me a huge hug. And it’s one of the greatest feelings ever just, you know, being able to be loved by your teammates, and that’s another thing that made it such a good team, how much we all love each other.”
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Moustakas, who has missed nine games with a strained left quadriceps with severe bruising, worked out at the Reds’ alternate site on Tuesday.
And on Wednesday he was at Kauffman Stadium taking batting practice as Thin Lizzy’s “Boys Are Back In Town” was played.
Yost, whose birthday is Wednesday, won’t be at Kauffman Stadium, obviously. But Moustakas has fond memories of his former manager.
“He’s just such a genuine loving person and he always treated me like I was part of his family,” Moustakas said. “And when I was going through some rough patches, he’d always be there for me so it was just so incredible to have a guy like that as your manager and be able to lean on him. If you had something going wrong and you were struggling, he always had your back.”
