The Rojas family, more commonly known in English-speaking America by their

matronym A matronymic is a personal name based on the given name of one's mother, grandmother, or any female ancestor. It is the female equivalent of a patronymic. Around the world, matronymic surnames are far less common than patronymic surnames. In s ...

, Alou, is a prominent

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

family from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

. The

family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

in the Dominican Republic is the paternal family name of Rojas, but

Felipe Alou Felipe Rojas Alou (born May 12, 1935) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, first baseman, and manager. He managed the Montreal Expos (1992–2001) and the San Francisco Giants (2003–2006). The first Dominican to play regularly in the ...

and his brothers became known by the name Alou when the Giants' scout who signed Felipe mistakenly thought his matronym (Alou) was his

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

. The Rojas Alou brothers' maternal grandfather, Mateu Alou, was an immigrant from

Felanitx Felanitx or Felanich is a municipality in the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, located in the southeast of Majorca, 48 kilometres (30 miles) from the capital Palma de Mallorca. The town, dating back to the 13th century, l ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, who immigrated to the Dominican Republic in 1898. In 1963, while all playing for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

, Felipe, Matty and Jesus became the first all brother outfield in the Major Leagues.

, the oldest of three brothers, was the first Dominican to play regularly in the Major Leagues. From 1958 to 1974, he played for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Oakland A's, the New York Yankees and the Montreal Expos. He made the All-Star team three times and once finished 5th in the MVP voting. His younger brothers Matty and Jesús were both longtime

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

outfielders. Felipe's son Moisés, is also a former Major League outfielder. Luis Rojas, also a son of Felipe, was named manager of the New York Mets on January 22, 2020. All but Jesús have been named All-Stars at least twice.

Mel Rojas Melquíades Rojas Medrano (born December 10, 1966) is a Dominican former Major League Baseball (MLB) relief pitcher. From 1990 to 1999, he played for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League a ...

, a cousin of Moisés, pitched in MLB for ten seasons.

References

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