FRIENDS — “The One with Chandler in a Box” Episode 8 — Pictured: (l-r) Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green (Photo by Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

For a number of major leaguers who have tried to improve their English and familiarize themselves with American culture, countless opportunities to watch reruns of the longtime NBC staple Friends continues to be the best way to casually get comfortable with the English language.

The fascination with the show held by Wilmer Flores was detailed a year ago when his fandom of the show was chronicled as the inspiration for his walkup music at Mets home games. Flores had watched the show long before he arrived in the big leagues and said watching the show while in the minors helped him improve his comprehension of the English language and helped cope with being away from his home in Venezuela.

“It’s one of my favorite shows,” Flores said. “I watch it every day before I go to sleep. It’s on Netflix. It’s on Nick at Nite every night.”

It turns out that Flores is not alone in using Friends as his way of adjusting to life in North America playing baseball. The New York Times reports Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis watches the show so much that his wife questions his viewing habits.

“It’ll be the same episodes I’ve seen already,” Galvis said, “and my wife is like, ‘Yet again?’” Galvis claims to have seen every episode of Friends at least five times.

Other big leaguers who have become major fans of Friends include Luis Severino, David Peralta, Miguel Gonzalez, and more. What is notable is a number of these players are younger and may not have the same connection with the show and its references due to the age discrepancy between the show and the players, never mind the cultural divide that stood in the way before the ballplayers headed to a life of professional baseball.

“The basics you can learn in a classroom,” Flores said while discussing how English has been taught and learned by a number of players from Latin countries. “But to speak the language, that comes from here in the clubhouse, on the street or from television.”

That actually makes a ton of sense, so if you’re ever looking to pick up some Spanish, maybe turning on a dubbed version of Friends is the way to go.

[New York Times]

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.