“The shocker of the survey came when deciding who could be counted on when fists fly. The 6-foot-7, 315-pound CC Sabathia? Thanks, but no thanks. The ripped, 6-foot-3, 230-pound Rodriguez? Nah. Instead, the Yankees overwhelmingly picked Mitre, a quiet, not overly muscled 30-year-old relief pitcher. Huh?

“That’s a big secret,” Mitre chuckled. “A lot of people don’t know. But if anybody’s in trouble, you want me there.”

Mitre explained that he grew up on the streets of Tijuana, Mexico, where street fighting was an unavoidable fact of life.

“Long story short, I grew up fighting. My dad got tired of me coming home, shirt ripped, always bloody. So he put me into martial arts—Chinese Kempo, boxing, wrestling. I have a full, well-rounded education,” Mitre said.

Mitre says once he began learning—he trained for six years and competed in tournaments—nobody wanted to fight him anymore.

Mitre proceeded to demonstrate several techniques on this reporter, whose thumb, elbow, and ribcage continue to feel the effects several days later.”