Perez looking forward to return home

CHICAGO -- Dolphin Stadium, named as it is for a football team, doesn't hold a place among baseball's cathedrals the way Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium and Fenway Park do. But for Cardinals rookie Chris Perez, pitching at the South Florida ballpark will be a highlight in his young career.

Perez hails from Bradenton, Fla., across the state but not far from Miami, and attended the University of Miami. He's had the Cardinals' trip to Florida circled on his calendar for a while now.

"When I got called back up, I knew I would probably make that trip," Perez sid. "It's cool. It's cool to play in front of your family, and to have a big league game a couple hours from where I grew up and close to where I went to college."

Perez's parents have come to St. Louis to see him pitch, so it won't be their first time seeing him in the big leagues. But many of his friends and acquaintances have never seen him pitch in a Major League game.

"It's going to be fun," Perez said. "I spent three years [at Miami]. I've got a lot of college friends, and my coaching staff is going to be there. My family is coming over from the west coast [of Florida]. So it's going to be fun."

In his second tour of duty in St. Louis, Perez has emerged as a key late-inning reliever. He recently notched his first Major League save, and will continue to be in the mix for closing duties for the time being.

(mlb.com)