In order to become the all-time hits leader with an independent baseball team, a player needs to be willing to make significant sacrifices for a big chunk of his life.

Spending several months a year in a foreign country, away from wife and son, comes to mind. So does riding buses around the heartland of North America and enduring the wear and tear of six 105-game seasons at the catcher position.

However, suiting up for the Winnipeg Goldeyes and playing in front of the fans at Shaw Park has never felt remotely like a sacrifice to longtime backstop Luis Alen.

“I feel proud … I so feel blessed to be here in Winnipeg,” Alen, 30, was saying Tuesday before the Goldeyes took on the Sioux Falls Canaries in their American Association home opener at Shaw Park.

“First of all, to be with this team for that long, it has to be a great franchise. They don’t treat you as a baseball player … they treat you more like family.”

Alen, in his seventh season with the Fish, recently became the club’s all-time hits leader. The Goldeyes honoured him Tuesday by presenting him with the ball he hit for No. 632 (breaking Max Poulin’s record) last month during a season-opening 10-game road trip.

A native of Venezuela, who lives with his wife and son in his home country, Alen has been playing professional baseball since 2002 when he was signed as a free agent by the Florida Marlins. His family has joined him in Winnipeg in the past, but is not with him this year.

“I miss them a lot, that’s for sure,” Alen said. “I talk to them every day. I wish they were here with me, just to see this special moment.”

Alen’s devotion to baseball is remarkable. He plays winter baseball every year in places like Venezuela and Colombia and, more recently, Nicaragua. He estimates he plays about 170 games per year.

Perhaps it’s that dedication that has allowed him to be a career .311 hitter with the Goldeyes.

“We’ve been fortunate to have him,” Goldeyes manager Rick Forney, whose team took a 4-6 record into Tuesday’s game, said during batting practice. “He’s been here a long time and he can certainly swing the bat. He has a good approach at the plate, doesn’t get himself out a whole lot, makes people throw him strikes.”

Forney first discovered Alen when he was playing winter ball in Colombia and was teammates with former Goldeyes catcher/infielder Brent Metheny and coach Brent Bowers. Alen still remembers that first call from a place called Winnipeg.

“I knew right away after I talked to Rick that I was coming to the right place,” Alen said.

“I can tell you day-by-day since the first day I got here, it has been a great experience.”

Through his years in Winnipeg, Alen has won an American Association championship, hit 35 home runs and driven in 314. He’s also caught some of the best pitchers in team history. He lists Ace Walker, Chris Salamida and Matt Rusch as three of the most memorable.

“They’re more than teammates,” he said. “They’re family. It’s just a special relationship that we have.”

Alen is not sure how many more seasons he will play – between all those winter and summer league games, he’s “aging fast,” as Forney puts it – but it sounds like is Alen is willing to keep giving his all for the Goldeyes as long as they will have him.

“If I can get out of bed, that’s another beautiful day to play baseball,” he said. “When I’m playing winter ball during the off-season, I just can’t wait to come back here. They treat you like a big-leaguer here.”

It doesn’t hurt that the Goldeyes have a solid team under Forney each and every year.

“That’s the beautiful thing about Winnipeg,” Alen said. “I don’t know how they do it. They always bring the right guys and they manage to bring a great team together every season.”

AROUND

THE HORN

WINNIPEG GOLDEYES (5-6) 5

SIOUX FALLS CANARIES (5-7) 3

WINNING PITCHER: Matt Jackson (2-1)

LOSING PITCHER: Jeremy Strawn (1-1)

SAVE: Jailen Peguero (2)

HOME RUNS: None

THE SKINNY

On a night he was honoured for becoming the Goldeyes all-time hits leader, catcher Luis Alen had two hits, drove in a run and scored another. He now has 641 hits in his seven seasons with the Goldeyes. That helped make a winner of Matt Jackson, who pitched 6 1/3 strong innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out four. Relievers Raul Rivera, Brendan Lafferty and Jailen Peguero shut the Canaries down the rest of the way as the Goldeyes won their home opener and improved to 5-6 on the young American Association season.

PLAYER

OF THE GAME

Goldeyes OF Adam Heisler went 3-for-4, scored a run and led the Goldeyes charge on the basepaths with two stolen bases.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Veteran catcher Luis Alen hustled home after a Jeremy Strawn wild pitch in the fourth inning for what turned out to be the winning run.

UP NEXT

The Goldeyes host the Canaries again Wednesday at 7 p.m. LHP Jonathan Cornelius (0-1) goes for the Fish against LHP Miguel Pena (1-1)