Justin Masterson had just wrapped up his first start of 2015 when he praised the work of “The Chief.”
It was obvious Masterson was referring to Boston Red Sox teammate Edward Mujica, as the veteran reliever was impressive in recording the final three outs against the Philadelphia Phillies. But Mujica’s nickname was somewhat of a revelation, though it apparently predates his Red Sox tenure.
Mujica recently told WEEI.com that his nickname stems from his 2011 campaign with the Florida Marlins. Edwin Rodriguez resigned as Florida’s manager that season and was replaced by 80-year-old Jack McKeon, who decided pronouncing “Mujica” was too much to handle.
“He starts calling me ‘Chief’ because he thinks I’m American Indian,” Mujica told WEEI.com.
Interestingly, Mujica is not American Indian. He’s Venezuelan. It didn’t stop McKeon, though. His mind was made up, according to Mujica.
“Not anymore,” Mujica remembers McKeon replying. “You’re an American Indian. You’re the last of the Mohicans.”
St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak reportedly kept the tradition alive upon acquiring Mujica at the trade deadline in 2012. The nickname lost some steam when Mujica signed with the Red Sox before the 2013 season, but Joe Kelly and Allen Craig (who were teammates with Mujica in St. Louis) brought it back upon joining Boston at the 2014 trade deadline.
“Then they started calling me ‘Chief,’ and everyone was asking Joe, ‘Why do you call Mujica Chief?’ ” Mujica told WEEI.com. “And he said, ‘Because he’s the Chief. The last of the Mohicans.’ So everyone calls me ‘Chief’ now, and that’s it. I’ll take it.”
Mujica is known to dish out some nicknames of his own. He refers to NESN’s Gary Striewski as “Chino” because of his striking resemblance to a Venezuelan pop star.
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Thumbnail photo via David Kohl/USA TODAY Sports Images
