Eastern Francisco has a lot to smile.
The short of dynamo Mets joins Alexa in Zoom after breakfast on a sunny spring morning. He will emerge from one of the countless memorable games this season in Citi Field; Last night, against Arizona Diamondbacks, saw it hitting a double Homer that brought out a Tom Hanks clip celebrating in the stand.
So how is Eastern, Aka Mr Smile, this morning? “Fantastic!” He says with that signature grin. But he is not stopping at the memories of the game, he says. This is part of a deliberate, conscious approach that holds his attention to the ball – literally and otherwise – and his famous stable performance. After a game, he allows himself to process what happened before he continues. “I spend time on the field trying not to meditate exactly, but just thinking about all the things that happened in the game,” he shares. “So then this is out of my brain. And I can continue and focus on recovery.”
(Our interview took place a few weeks before the star player suffered a broken Pinky toe, but still managed to play the nine cases, at a fierce loss against La Dodgers.)
The eastern shows that equal leadership in the field, even after a thunder blow. His secret? “Live in the moment,” he says. “When we are no longer at the moment, this is when we start getting a lot of hyper, as well as adults. I have moments that create anxiety for me, and there are moments when I start dwelling in things, but I have worked to stay at the moment when I am playing: now I am a Hitter. I am a basic runner. I enjoy
The Eastern philosophy also applies to his life at home with his wife Katia, their two young daughters, Kalina and Amapola, and their newest growth of the team, the son Koa, born in March. “Now I’m dad; now I’m a man; now I’m my wife’s friend: What does she need? So I sail life,” he says.
The arrival of Koa may have inspired East to add a new song song, along with his pleasure of the crowd “My Girl”, which undoubtedly takes the whole singing of the stadium. Now he alternates him with “It’s not a high mountain”, another classic of the 60s that channeles his potential spirit and accepts this change of life: “The biggest difference is that I don’t just say” my daughters, my daughters “has a boy!”
When we speak, his wife and children are in Orlando, Fla. “We have a lot of families there, we are blessed,” says the 31-year-old Eastern, who admits he lacks them as crazy. “My cousin, he also has two little girls, so everyone should stay. So I think they are better there now.” (An adorable clip of girls reuniting with their father has gone viral.)
Eastern shooting with Alexa took place on the beautiful Lake Nona, Fla., Not far from his family in Orlando. “Immediately after one of the days of spring training we left down there,” he says. “There were many good pieces I liked to dress. From pants to the top of the shoe, it was there – but at the same time, it was a clean look. I liked it.”
The short scale has become an icon of style that is always changing its appearance. This season, he says, “I’m drawing towards many creams and brown, with more neutral colors. They’re talking to me. It can be, like, a pinch of harvest, or skirt and a soft shirt.” He has not completely abandoned a spray of brightness, though: “I still force myself to wear colors. But I find myself more in neutrals.”
When your style is an advantage, street dressing seems to be restrictive. But the eastern says it is the opposite. “At home, it’s a little harder because I have all the pieces. On the street, I plan it. I say, well, I have seven dresses. So now I know if I wear it today, I can’t wear it tomorrow. I can wear it four or five days later, but not one day afterwards.”
He has been a garment of clothes since he was a child. “I grew up with girls, two sisters, who liked to be wearing. And they wouldn’t let me leave home if I didn’t look good! I always loved Christmasmas, because it was the possibility that my mom would buy us clothes. In the summer, we just wore whatever. So I’ve always enjoyed that time.
“As I got old,” he continues, “my taste was a little more refined. I work with a style coach, and I learned from him how to attach different materials, and that has helped a lot.”
Eastern love for fashion does not stop with its street style. As Mets fans know, he is famous for his personalized baseball gloves. On Jackie Robinson’s Day this April, he debuted a handle by honoring the legend, writing in an Instagram post: “Thank you Jackie for breaking barriers and inspirational generations. We play intentionally because of you #42.” He says every new handle gives him an explosion of energy: “I’m like a child. I have something new in hand. Not good too.” Eastern works with rawlings to design the gloves, which the company sells in restricted flocks after their appearance in the field.
The East was also known for his generous support of other players; He offers tips for the new teammates, and has been praised for his welcoming reception for the new Outfielder of Star Juan Soto. “I speak a lot s -t,” he joked in an interview with Foul Territory TV, saying that “I try to be the one who speaks and I also drive the players to be better, and be there for them and support them whenever they have to rely.” Not every player wants his help, he says, and that’s okay. For those who do, he tells us, “They will come and talk to me, and I will guide them, and then they go. We all have another way.”
He is also convinced of setting time in his schedule – and reaching his bank account – to help inspire the next generation by players aspiring to artistic dreamers. “Children are the future and it is the best way we can influence the world,” he says, “passing knowledge and hopeful is a good example.” East was born in Caguas, Porto Rico and moved to Florida at the age of 12 to attend the Montverde Academy, known for her athletics programs. Drafted by Cleveland in 2011, he made his big debut in League in 2015 before being traded in Mets in 2021 and then signing a 10-year reach for $ 341 million, the third highest in league history at the time.
He regularly donated to his school, which named a building after him in 2013. “I am everything for education,” he says. “Yeardo year I feel like growing mentally and gain more knowledge. We are trying to create something where we help young musicians, new stylists. Everyone wants to get a little smarter.”
At Citi Field, he is waiting for “Eastern Smile on Tuesday”, where the children come to meet their hero and learn how he holds his whites of pearls so blind. “Really really good,” he runs. “There is an opportunity to gather a group of children and tell them the story of my smile, and then I have a dentist with myself; he is more educational, obviously.”
It turns out that this is a man who is seriously interested in teeth. “I’ve always said if I wouldn’t be a baseball player. I would like to be a dentist,” he says. “I just love teeth and smiles. I feel like infectious smile. If you’re going through a hard day and someone smiles you, you can smile again, and if you smile again, it can turn your day.”
He will bring his million dollar smile to the 2026 World Class Class, where Puerto Rico’s captain has just been named. “It is a privilege to represent the island,” he says. “I’m excited! I’m blessed.” He and his family try to return to Puerto Rico four or five times a year. Whenever they go, his arrival is, we will say, noted. “Crazy is crazy. It’s like a carnival!” He says. “Hopefully, this is where we end up. When the kids are older, I would like to go back so that they can have some of their mother and I grew up. To understand culture.”
Given the excellent rhythm of his life now, when he returns home, he is mostly hanging in his hometown – or wherever his family takes him. “I’m an inner type person,” he says with laughing. “Katia is the one that drives me away. At that time they decide to do, I go and do it. I’m fine doing all the things they want to do, but if it were for me, I would just sit next to the pool and stay.”
Meanwhile, the world series approaches great; Mets have had a strong opening of the season, with the eastern giving directions to the electrifying house. “I would like to win them all. We have a good team,” he says. But with his characteristic balanced approach, he adds, “having a good team promises nothing!”
Photographs: Eduardo Rezende; Editor: French Serena; Stylist: Anahita Moussavian; Photo editor: Jessica Hober; Talent Booker: Patty Adams Martinez; Groom: Casey Cheek for ABTP; Fashion Assistant: Jena Beck, Photo assistant: Heribeth Rojas Ramos, Videography: Matthew Mcdermott
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Image Source : nypost.com