.c The Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) - A year ago, Cuban defector Livan Hernandez was rich, lonely and overweight, a victim of culture shock and too many Big Macs.
The Florida Marlins looked at his expanding waistline and feared their $2.5 million bonus baby was a big bust.
But on Sunday, Hernandez turned the pitching mound into a land of opportunity. He led the Florida Marlins past the Atlanta Braves 2-1, allowing just three hits and setting an NL championship series record with 15 strikeouts.
Hernandez's path to postseason heroics began when he fled Cuba, leaving all of his family behind, and received the large bonus to sign with the Marlins in January 1996.
He also considered an offer from the Braves.
"It was close,'' he said. "I almost signed with them.''
The Marlins gave the right-hander a chance to make their rotation that spring, but he instead spent most of the year at Double-A, battling his weight, the language barrier and a mysterious loss of velocity.
"When people arrive in this country, they arrive blind,'' he said through a translator. "They don't know what they're getting themselves into. In the first year it was hard to get accustomed to it, but in the second year I've been able to do it, and now I'm able to adjust to the American way of life.''
Hernandez began listening to the Marlins' minor-league tutors, and his pitch selection improved, as did his fastball. Perhaps more important, he changed his diet.
"Last year I ate quite a bit at McDonalds,'' said Hernandez, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds but probably weighs more. "I am learning how to eat different foods. I am even eating soup, which I never did. I am eating salads, which I never liked. So I am eating a lot better.''
Hernandez began this year in the minors, but the Marlins recalled him in June. He became only the second NL pitcher to begin his career with nine consecutive wins in a season, and he finished 9-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 96 1-3 innings.
He began the postseason in the bullpen when manager Jim Leyland decided to go with just four starters. But a torn rotator cuff sidelined Alex Fernandez, the flu sidelined Kevin Brown, and Hernandez learned late Saturday that he was about to pitch the most important game of his young life.
It turned out to be his best game, too.
In the clubhouse beforehand, Hernandez joked with teammates and relaxed by watching Colombian soccer.
"He came to the park loose,'' catcher Charles Johnson said. "He's been that way all year.''
It was a remarkable performance by such a young pitcher, although no one is sure how old he is. The Marlins list him at 22, but some Latin players - most notably Fernando Valenzuela - are thought to have fudged their ages.
"This guy is 21 or 22 years old - as far as we know - and for a kid that age, his poise and his composure on the mound are second to none,'' teammate Jeff Conine said. "He has been amazing all year.''
Hernandez's poise served him well in the first inning. Kenny Lofton tripled and Keith Lockhart walked to start the game, but the next three batters - all left-handers - struck out.
Michael Tucker led off the second with a homer, but Hernandez allowed only two more runners. He took advantage of umpire Eric Gregg's wide strike zone, nibbling at the outside part of the plate. During one stretch he retired 14 batters in a row, with eight strikeouts.
Fans in the outfield hung a `K' sign over the railing with each whiff, and the cheers grew louder as the outs mounted.
Leyland decided against calling on closer Robb Nen in the ninth.
"There were 50,000 people here, and I did not want to get snipered,'' Leyland joked.
When Hernandez threw one final strike, the crowd erupted with a roar that may have been audible in his hometown. After all, Island of Youth, Cuba is only 200 miles from Miami.
"In Cuba, everyone is following the Marlins and wearing Marlins caps,'' he said.
Umpires rarely comment on the performance of players, but Gregg made an exception for Hernandez.
"He had an outstanding curveball and kept them guessing,'' Gregg said. "He was awesome.''
AP-NY-10-12-97 2200EDT