Frank Carroll, of The Sentinel Staff
Published in
The Orlando Sentinel on
March 10, 1999.
KISSIMMEE -- Don't quiz New York Yankees pitcher Orlando Hernandez about the Baltimore Orioles' ground-breaking game against Cuban Nationals on March 28 in Havana. "El Duque" protects that opinion like a one-run lead.
Fourteen months after exiting Cuba in a motor boat, the New York Yankees' prized right-hander still speaks little English.
"I don't want to answer. It's personal," he said through an interpreter.
Yankees Manager Joe Torre said Baltimore's adventure "isn't going to be received well by everybody. We're treading on thin ice. The results are going to be interesting. Orlando is upset by what the Orioles are doing. Only people who have lived there can attest to how horrible it is to live in that environment."
The U.S. Coast Guard counted Hernandez among eight refugees it picked up on Anguilla Cay on Dec. 26, 1997. Rather than accept a U.S. visa, he took up residence in Costa Rica. Weeks later, he was granted free agency. Two months later, he signed with the Yankees.
Perhaps Hernandez won't discuss Cuba because family remains on the communist-ruled island, among them a half-brother and another talented player. An older half-brother, Florida Marlins pitcher Livan Hernandez, defected while training in Mexico for the 1995 World Cup.
Of Cuban big-leaguers talking about Baltimore's trip, "most like the idea. They think it's going to show Fidel Castro how much better the talent is here," said ESPN commentator Peter Gammons.
Torre said he hopes more Cuban players benefit because of the trip.
"We want to incorporate those types of players into what we're doing," he said. "People over there say their teams are as good as our teams. That remains to be seen. I'm not sure two games against Baltimore is going give us a lot of read."
Said Hernandez: "I'm living a dream with the Yankees. I can't believe the turnaround in my life the past year. Sometimes, talking about it, I get sad. I had to leave a lot of memories behind. It has been tough."
Some memories -- 24-hour bus rides to games and monthly $8 paydays -- are painful. Cubans are ineligible for Major League Baseball's draft. Castro's government has an agreement with the Japan League. However, all but $1,000 of what it pays stays in Cuba.
Money is no longer one of El Duque's worry. The second year of a four-year $6.6 million deal is worth $1.7 million.
Pitching has a language of its own. Hernandez spoke during the Yankees' drive to 1998's World Series pennant. He was 12-4 (3.13 earned-run average) in 21 starts with only 117 days of big-league service. In a four-game sweep of the San Diego Padres, Hernandez won Game 2, posting seven strikeouts over seven innings.
Before 5,537 fans Tuesday, only the second standing-room-only crowd at Osceola County Stadium in two years, Hernandez, who struck out five in four innings, escaped being the loser when New York staged a two-run, ninth-inning rally to hand Houston its first spring loss, 5-4.
NOTES: Complaining of a sore neck, first baseman Jeff Bagwell was scratched from Houston'slineup. . . . In honor of the late Joe Dimaggio, the Yankees displayed a white 5 within a black patch on their left-shoulder sleeves. The stadium flag flew at half-mast, and fans observed a pregame moment of silence. . . . Sean Bergman will start for Houston at 1:05 p.m. today against Atlanta at Disney's Wide World of Sports. Bruce Chen will start for Atlanta.
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