Editing Rod Carew (section)

==Early life==
Carew is the son of Olga Teoma, and Eric Carew Sr., a painter.<ref name="sabr"/> Carew is a [[Zonian]] and was born to a Panamanian mother on a train in the town of [[Gatún]], which, at that time, was in the [[Panama Canal Zone]].<ref name="Goldman, Rob pp. 145">[[#Gold06|Goldman, Rob]] pp. 145</ref> The train was [[Racial segregation|racially segregated]]; [[white people|white]] passengers were given the better forward cars, while non-whites, like Carew's mother, were forced to ride in the rearward cars. Traveling on the train was Dr. Rodney Cline, who delivered the baby. In appreciation for this, Mrs. Carew named the boy Rodney Cline Carew.<ref name="sabr"/><ref name="Goldman, Rob pp. 145"/><ref name="The Ballplayers">{{Cite book |author1=Pietrusza, David |author2=Matthew Silverman |author3=Gershman, Michael |title=Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia |publisher=Total Sports |location=New York |year=2000 |isbn=1-892129-34-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/baseballbiograph00matt }}</ref> Carew later acknowledged in 2020 that he and his father Eric had a very tumultuous relationship, even stating "Baseball was the one thing that kept me from killing my father."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iheart.com/podcast/139-the-dan-barreiro-show-26981004/episode/best-of-bumper-to-bumper-friday-65678440/?cmp=ios_share&sc=ios_social_share&pr=false|title = BEST OF Bumper to Bumper Friday, June 26: Rod Carew, Belinda Jensen, Lavelle Neal - Dan Barreiro}}</ref><ref name=onetoughout>{{cite news|url=https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-sports/rod-carew-baseball-was-the-one-thing-that-kept-me-from-killing-my-father|title=Rod Carew: 'Baseball was the one thing that kept me from killing my father'|first=Chris|last=Schad|publisher=Bring Me The News|date=June 29, 2020|access-date=October 19, 2020}}</ref> In his memoir ''One Tough Out'', Carew stated that his father was a violent alcoholic who would often physically abuse him and his mother, and that Carew eventually came close to killing him with a [[machete]].<ref name=onetoughout />

At age 14, Carew and his siblings immigrated to the United States to join his mother in the [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]] section of the borough of [[Manhattan]], New York City.<ref name="sabr"/><ref name="Goldman, Rob pp. 147">[[#Gold06|Goldman, Rob]] pp. 147</ref> Although Carew attended [[George Washington High School (New York City)|George Washington High School]], he never played baseball for the high school team. According to Carew, his interest in baseball redeveloped at the age of 18; as when he was younger and still in Panama, his mother convinced him he could get away from his father if he played baseball.<ref name=onetoughout /> Carew later played [[semi-professional sports|semi-professional]] baseball for the Bronx Cavaliers,<ref name="Goldman, Rob pp. 148">[[#Gold06|Goldman, Rob]] pp. 148</ref> which is where he was discovered by Minnesota Twins scout Monroe Katz (whose son, Steve, played with Carew on the Cavaliers). Katz then recommended Carew to another Twins scout, Herb Stein, who arranged a tryout in April 1964,<ref name="Goldman, Rob pp. 149">[[#Gold06|Goldman, Rob]] pp. 149</ref> and Carew performed so well that manager [[Sam Mele]] finished the tryout early so that the Yankees would not see him.<ref name="Goldman, Rob pp. 149"/> Herb Stein along with Katz signed Carew to an amateur free agent contract (at the [[Stella D'Oro]] Restaurant in the Bronx) on June 24, 1964<ref name="baseball-almanac.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_stbah.shtml |title=Stealing Home Base Records by Baseball Almanac |publisher=Baseball-almanac.com |access-date=October 6, 2011}}</ref><ref name="theatlantic.com">{{cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/198108/baseball/6 |title=The Last of the Pure Baseball Men |publisher=The Atlantic |date=August 1, 1981 |access-date=October 6, 2011 |archive-date=October 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006224720/http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/198108/baseball/6 |url-status=dead }}</ref> for a monthly salary of $400 ({{Inflation|US|400|1964|fmt=eq}}).<ref name="sabr"/>

Starting his minor league career, Carew was assigned to play [[second base]] with the [[Melbourne Twins]] in the [[Cocoa Rookie League]] and hit .325 over the final 37 games of the season.<ref name="minors">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=carew-001rod |title=Rod Carew Minor League Statistics & History |publisher=Baseball-Reference.com |date=October 1, 1945 |access-date=October 6, 2011}}</ref> Over the next two years he would end up hitting .302 in [[Minor League Baseball|Class A]]<ref name="minors"/> playing second base for the [[Wilson Tobs (minor league baseball)|Wilson Tobs]] and the [[Orlando Twins]].<ref name="sabr"/>