Curtis Pride details his baseball career in new book | Business

“I Felt the Cheers: The Remarkable Silent Life of Curtis Pride,” by Curtis Pride with Doug Ward, Kensington Books, 226 pages

It was just another late season Major League Baseball game in Montreal in 1993 when Expos rookie Curtis Pride delivered the first hit of his career.

The fans, as is custom, stood and applauded the feat. Pride, after all, came off the bench to double in two runs in the eighth inning to cut the visiting team’s lead that night to one.

But on this night, the fans kept cheering. And they got loud.

By then, fans were aware of Pride, who was born deaf. He was three days removed from becoming the first deaf player to reach the majors in nearly 50 years. The Phillies then brought in a new pitcher, but the roar of the 45,000 that night in Montreal — yes, Montreal — only grew.

Pride stood on second base and had no idea how loud it was. Third base coach Jerry Manuel came out and advised him to tip his helmet to acknowledge the crowd, so he did.

But they kept cheering. 

“I still didn’t notice,” Pride said.

It wasn’t until an umpire advised him to smile that he realized the gravity of the situation. The moment serves as a focal point in his recently released autobiography, “I Felt the Cheers: The Remarkable Silent Life of Curtis Pride.”

He describes in detail how that moment validated his years of hard work in the minor leagues, the odds he overcame being deaf and all the people who helped him along the way. Pride might be most known for being a deaf baseball player, but there was so much more to his career than that game.

While he was never an everyday player, he had several notable accomplishments that are chronicled in the book — like the time he hit a pinch-hit home run in his first game with the Boston Red Sox or when he homered in his first game as a New York Yankee. Former professional baseball pitcher Greg Maddux credits Pride — who mastered lip-reading as a child — for the trend of pitchers and catchers covering their mouths during meetings on the mound to keep their conversations private.

Pride’s book is also a testament to the power of humans helping other humans. He identifies those who played a significant role in his development, starting with his parents, his first little league coach and a minor league manager who was there that night in Montreal.

Pride, who spent years as head baseball coach at Gallaudet University after a 22-year pro career, spoke with the newspaper about his book.

The interview was conducted using a program that provides closed captioning. It has been edited for clarity.

It’s been about 20 years since you retired from baseball. What led you to write a book at this point?

When I was playing professional baseball, I had a lot of people coming up to me asking if I had a book. It was interesting to them how I dealt with my deafness. Toward the end of my career, more people — people from the deaf community, teammates and coaches — asked me.

So I thought it was a good time to share my life journey with the public and hopefully inspire them.

Take me back to that night in Montreal. That was before the internet, but now the video of it has taken on a life of its own. Do you still get people asking you about it?

It was very emotional and very surreal. It’s something I will never, ever forget. I had a lot of people come up to me after the game. I would walk in downtown Montreal, and people would come up to me and say it was an experience they’ll never forget. To this day people still talk about how it made a huge impact on their lives.

Watch the video of Pride’s first hit by clicking here.

As a hearing person, I was unaware that deaf people often deal with a misconception that they are not smart. You talk about dealing with that over your career. Can you tell me more about that?

It’s a common misconception. William “Dummy” Hoy was the first deaf player in the major leagues, and he was called Dummy because people thought he was dumb just because he couldn’t hear.

I would have to constantly prove to people that just because I have a hearing loss doesn’t mean I’m not smart. I had a good GPA in high school and graduated from one of the top colleges in the country, William & Mary.

You reference by name the people who were instrumental in your development, but the biggest I thought were your parents. How much impact did they have on your career?

My mom sacrificed her nursing career to raise me and make sure I had all the resources necessary to become a productive person in society. My dad has been a big advocate, always helping me make sure I knew what was going on. My dad wanted to sign me up for T-ball, but they wouldn’t let me play because I was deaf and Black.

My dad threatened to file a legal suit. My dad has been with me making sure I understand the rules of the game and there was no miscommunication between the coaches and me.

For years I considered you a baseball journeyman, someone who sought out teams to play for. But now I think you were a journeyman because teams sought you out. How would you analyze your career?

It’s a tough business. To be able to come back from independent ball to the major leagues, that’s an incredible feat. When you go to the independent leagues, most people write you off, especially the age I was then.

I was looking ahead, doing my thing, staying positive and playing the game the right way at all times. I’ve had coaches tell me, “Man, I love the way you play. You play the game hard and the right way.” So I guess I set a good example.