Jeurys Familia

Jeurys Familia Mojica (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxeuɾis faˈmilja]; born October 10, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics. Familia was signed by the Mets as a non-drafted free agent in 2007. He made his MLB debut in 2012. During the 2015 season, Familia became the Mets\' closer. He was named an MLB All-Star in 2016. The Mets traded him to Oakland in July 2018, then brought him back on a three-year deal after that season concluded.\n', ' Familia\'s father worked for the Dominican military and part-time at a gas station despite being hindered by a leg injury suffered in a childhood accident. Familia\'s mother worked in a small boutique. On their combined wages, the parents raised five children.\n', ' Growing up in the Boca Chica section of Santo Domingo, Familia\'s favorite sport to play was basketball. He was especially fond of Allen Iverson and was also a fan of Kobe Bryant. He did not begin playing baseball until he was older and his friends had largely abandoned basketball in its favor. He did not have access to baseball equipment for most of his childhood.\n', '