After the Yankees won Game 1, Cleveland stole home field advantage in the 12^th inning of Game 2 and took the series lead after swatting four home runs in Game 3. With their backs against the wall, Joe Torre and the Yankees had to rely on the unproven arm of Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, or face elimination. In the biggest game of their season, many asked if Hernandez would be up for the challenge.

To understand if he was up for the task, we have to venture back to his life in communist Cuba.

A Cuban Star

El Duque was born in Fidel Castro’s Cuba sometime in the 1960s, the exact year is disputed and like most Cubans, Hernandez grew up playing the game of baseball.

He quickly rose to prominence pitching for the Havana Industriales and the Cuban National Team. While American scouts were tantalized by the skilled Cuban in limited international appearances, Hernandez was viewed as highly unlikely to leave the island. While he was only earning an alleged salary of about $9 a month, Hernandez believed in loyalty and patriotism and had no desire to leave his home. Things started changing in 1995 with a phone call.

Livan Hernandez, El Duque’s younger half-brother, was also beginning to make a name for himself. Unlike the technically sound Orlando, Livan was a gifted athlete with a jaw-dropping fastball. He made the Cuban national team by the age of 20 and soon sought the fame associated with being a professional athlete.

In 1994, he first met Joe Cubas, who had promised the young hurler that if he ever wanted to be a star, millions of dollars were waiting just a hundred miles north. A year later, having grown frustrated with a measly $6 a month salary, and a broken promise of a new television, Livan had enough.

After a phone call, he made his escape.

With Cubas’ help, Livan fled the National Team’s hotel in Venezuela, and would sign a four-year contract worth up to $6 million with the Florida Marlins.

A Tale of Two Brothers

Overnight, El Duque’s world had changed. As the Cuban government learned of Livan’s escape, they decided to punish the Hernandez brother still living on the island. Once the greatest pitcher in Cuba, Orlando quickly became the new public enemy of the Castro regime.

To start, he was left off the 1996 Cuban Olympic roster. Next, he was banned from the domestic league and was finally barred from stepping onto a baseball diamond. He even made the front-page of the official state newspaper where he was labeled a mafioso, a criminal and a traitor. His monthly stipend was cut, his marriage crumbled, and he had to move into a windowless shack.

No longer a professional athlete, Hernandez found work teaching calisthenics at a local psychiatric hospital. Meanwhile, his younger brother was a world away. The Marlins would win the World Series in seven games over Cleveland and he was named the World Series MVP. While Livan was thumping his chest and shouting, “I love you Miami!” his brother knew it was time to leave his home country and reached out to Joe Cubas.

While Cubas had long courted the elder Hernandez, when his opportunity arose, he was less than enthused about the prospect. Shortly after Livan had signed with Miami he decided to transition to a more established agent, a decision that was helped by Cubas’ demanding 25% of Livan’s contract plus additional expenses.

Out of options, El Duque turned to his great-uncle, Ocilio Cruz, a 1980 escapee living in Miami, who agreed to fund his escape. First, a boat from Cuba would transport Orlando to international waters. He would board a second boat from Miami, and both vessels would return to their starting points. While waiting for the right opportunity, and delivering the needed payments associated with the plan, El Duque was summoned to Cuba’s Ministry of Interior.

The Cuban government had caught wind of the potential operation and a government agent told Hernandez, “you will never play baseball again.”

Stumbling Towards Freedom

With the tiny island shrinking around him, the perfect opportunity presented itself as Fidel Castro tried to repair relations between Cuba and the Vatican. When Castro originally rose to power, he suppressed many Catholic churches fearing that they could serve as inspiration against his regime.

After a few tense decades, Castro and Pope John Paul II met at the Vatican in 1996 and planed a papal visit for January of 1998. To help commemorate the occasion, Castro officially ended the 30-year ban on Christmas. With the nation busy celebrating, El Duque had the perfect night for an escape.

Cuba was buzzing that Christmas Eve. El Duque and his girlfriend spent the day attending a wedding. Around seven in the evening, the couple said their goodbyes and would never be seen on the island again. Shortly after nightfall, they joined four others and headed to a small fishing village outside of Havana. The escapees made their way along a deserted beach, waded through waist deep water and boarded a small fishing boat. While the defectors hid under the floorboards, the crew set sail on their ten-hour voyage. If they were stopped, they would pretend they were just fishing.

Paradise Lost

Shortly into their journey, they spotted the Cuban Coast Guard and had to spend an hour fishing. Around 5:00 PM, the boat reached its destination, the deserted Bahamian island, Anguilla Cay, still 70 miles away from Miami. As the passengers made their way off of the boat, they were left with cigarettes, two cans of spam, sugar, a few gallons of water and most importantly, a camera. With evening approaching, the group would be nearly impossible to spot. When they believed the boat to be near, they were instructed to take a picture causing the camera to flash. Eagerly awaiting their rescue, the group began taking pictures but revealed no boat. Another flash. Nothing. This continued until shortly after midnight when it began to rain. Becoming desperate, the group continued taking pictures to no avail. As anxiety grew, the unimaginable happened; the camera fell and broke.

After a few unsuccessful attempts, the group called it a night and hoped the boat would spot them in the light of the morning. Unbeknownst to the group, there was a breakdown in communication back in Miami; no boat was coming. With the group already low on supplies, they came across a horrifying, yet welcomed, discovery. Located between the United States and Cuba, Anguilla Cay served as the final destination for many rafts that lost their passengers searching for freedom. Amongst the wreckage, the stranded found a charcoal stove and a few tents. Nearly out of food, they would boil conches in seawater in order to survive.

A Sliver of Hope

Early on December 28^th, four days since leaving their home, a helicopter spotted the marooned Cubans. The pilot hovered for a moment and waved, before flying away. Again, they were left alone and would have to continue waiting for their rescue. Finally, after midnight, an engine could be heard. The group sprung out of their makeshift camp and saw the U.S. Coast Guard quickly approaching.

As the worn down Cubans huddled in the rain under blankets, the Coast Guard informed them of troubling news. Because Anguilla Cay is owned by the Bahamas, they were on their way to Nassau. At the time, the Bahamas had a repatriation agreement with Cuba, and the escapees would soon be returned to Havana. However, awaiting them in Nassau, was massive press coverage, including the New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and the Miami Herald, who were informed of the developing situation by, the one and only, Joe Cubas. Instead of being shipped immediately to Cuba, the first question asked of El Duque was, “How’s the fastball?”

A New Beginning

Due to the added media frenzy, anti-Cuban agencies in the United States quickly pressured the government to find a way to bring El Duque, and his shipmates, to the United States. The administration of then President, Bill Clinton, were able to extend “humanitarian parole” and on January 2^nd, El Duque, with his new agent Joe Cubas, was officially a free agent.

March 17^th, 1998, El Duque was the newest member of the New York Yankees, after signing a $6.6 million contract. During his press conference, held in Miami, a familiar figure crashed the event. For the first time in over two-and-a-half years, Orlando was face to face with his brother. Smiling, Livan embraced him and told him to “hold on, don’t cry.” Perhaps it was seeing his brother that finally got to Orlando, but instead of holding on, tears rushed from his eyes, as the cameras continued flashing in the room.

During the 1998 season, the Yankees expected Hernandez to become accustomed to the United States and planned on keeping him in AAA; however, a dog bite to David Cone’s pitching hand forced El Duque into action. In his first start, America was introduced to his trademark leg kick, and watched as he allowed only one run over seven innings and would never relinquish his spot in the majors. His best regular season start that season came on August 13^th, Fidel’s birthday, when Hernandez struck out 13 Texas Rangers’ batters. Perhaps the cherry on top to his performance, he was one of the top talking points on ESPN, a channel that Castro frequently watched back in Cuba. When asked about his former dictator, El Duque responded, “I hope he watches me and is pulling the hair out of his beard.”

No Moment Too Big

In game four, the Cleveland Indians would be led by Dwight “Doc” Gooden and a star-studded lineup featuring Kenny Lofton, a young Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome and David Justice. But El Duque didn’t come this far to let the situation overwhelm him. Instead, he struck out six over seven scoreless innings while only allowing five baserunners. The Yankees cruised to a 4-0 win and, perhaps motivated by Hernandez, never lost another game in the historic ’98 season. El Duque again dominated in the World Series, allowing only one run in seven innings.

After the 1998 season, El Duque would remain a key piece in the Yankees’ rotation and would win two more championships in 1999 and 2000, followed by a fourth World Series in 2005 with the Chicago White Sox. He finished his career with a 9-3 postseason record, a 2.55 era and one more strikeout than innings pitched. Throughout his career, unsurprisingly, no moment was too big for the legend, El Duque.

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It was never a fair comparison for a few reasons. This year’s team is comprised of a number of young players that are on the rise. The 1998 team was built around a core of proven veterans. Also, the AL East isn’t as strong as it was in 1998 and PED use isn’t running rampant as it reportedly was then. But, most of all, the team should not be measured against the 1998 Yankees because of David Cone, Andy Pettitte, David Wells, and Orlando Hernandez.

The Hired Gun

Admittedly, the hired gun analogy for Cone is a bit worn out and in a way, minimizes his contributions as a pitcher. He was originally drafted by his hometown team, the Kansas City Royals, in the third round of the 1981 MLB Amateur Draft.

Five years later, he made his Major League debut and appeared in 11 games for the defending World Series champions. During the following Spring Training, Cone started his journey through baseball. It began with a trade to the New York Mets for three players in a deal that became a steal for the Mets.

Cone became an All-Star in 1988, winning 20 games for the first time and finished third in the NL Cy Young voting. The Mets were favored to win their second World Series in three years, but the LA Dodgers hopped on the back of Cy Young winner Orel Hershiser, who buzz-sawed his way through the opposition for the last Dodgers’ title.

With free agency pending, the Mets sent Cone to the Toronto Blue Jays during the non-waiver trading period for a player to be named later (Ryan Thompson) and Jeff Kent. (Teams could still get a star through waivers in 1992; there was not the blocking of opponents by making waiver claims that there is today.)

Cone won a World Series ring and returned that winter to the Royals as a free agent. After a decent 1993 season, Cone was the AL Cy Young Winner in the strike-shortened 1994 season. He finished the season 16-5, winning one-quarter of the team’s 64 victories, and finished with a 2.94 ERA and 1.072 WHIP.

That off-season the Royals decided to rework the team and sent Cone back to Toronto for three minor leaguers, only one of which (Chris Stynes) made it to the Majors and had a decent career. In other words, it was another steal of a trade, this time for the Blue Jays.

Cone only lasted in Toronto until the trade deadline. With free agency pending once again, the Blue Jays sent Cone to the Yankees for less in return than they sent to the Royals. The Blue Jays received two minor leaguers and pitcher Marty Janzen, who made just 27 Major League appearances. Simply put, the Yankees got away with highway robbery.

Cone’s addition to the Yankees was a major move in turning the team into winners. Not only because of his winning pedigree, but because of his leadership in the clubhouse and in his handling of the media. You would also be hard pressed to find a tougher competitor.

With Cone, the Yankees made it back to the postseason for the first time since 1981. And, though they lost in the opening round in 1995, the Yankees were on the cusp of a mini-dynasty.

Cone missed most of the 1996 season due to an aneurysm in his right shoulder, but returned to appear in the Division and League Championship Series and the World Series. His performance in Game 3 vs. the Braves in the World Series helped to turn the series around. The right-hander added a second World Series ring to his collection in six games.

Two years later, the 1998 Yankees embarked on their incredible 114-win journey. Cone won 20 of those games, the first time he reached that mark in 20 years, which was a Major League record. He finished fourth in the AL Cy Young voting, and threw over 200 innings and struck out more than 200 hitters for the final time in his career.

In his 13th season in the bigs, “Coney” won games in the ALDS and ALCS, and threw an effective no-decision in Game 3 of the World Series, which the Yankees won in four games over the Padres.

Mr. Home-Grown

Andy Pettitte was only 25 years old at the start of the 1998 season, but he already had three seasons under his belt.

He finished third in the AL Rookie-of-the-Year voting in 1995 and was second to Pat Hentgen in the 1996 AL Cy Young voting after a 21-win season.

Pettitte was an integral part of the team’s return to the playoffs in 1995 when he finished 18-7, 2.88 and threw a career-high 240.1 innings pitched. It earned him fifth place honors in the AL Cy Young vote.

Though he wasn’t as dominant as he was in the prior two years, the Texas-native’s contribution to the 1998 Yankees was as important as it always had been.

He topped 200 innings for the third straight season, allowed less than a home run per nine innings, and got his usual high number of ground ball outs. In the post-season, Pettitte dominated the Texas Rangers for seven innings in the Yankees three-game sweep.

After a shaky loss to the Indians in the ALCS, Pettitte got back on track in the World Series. He blanked the Padres for 7.1 innings in the Series clinching 3-0 win.

“We feel we can throw a stopper out there every game we play,” says Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre. – Sports Illustrated, 1998

Perfect

Outside of winning their second World Series in three years, the most exciting game of the year was David Wells’ perfect game on May 17.

Wells had begun to establish himself as one of the best left-handers in baseball by the time the Yankees had signed him to a free agent contract in December 1996.

Originally selected by the Blue Jays in the second round of the 1982 MLB Amateur Draft, Wells made his Major League debut five years later in 1987. In the 1988 and 1989 seasons, he worked out of the bullpen helping to set up closer Tom Henke.

Starting in 1990, Wells split time between starting and relieving until he departed Toronto via free agency to become a full-time starter for the Tigers in 1993. Before his departure from Canada, Wells earned his first World Series ring with the Blue Jays in 1992 and also was a teammate of Cone’s for the first time.

Wells’ first All-Star appearance came after a dominant first half performance in 1995. But, with free agency pending, he was sent to Cincinnati that July in a non-waiver trade deadline deal for C.J. Nitkowski and Mark Lewis. In December, Wells was shipped to Baltimore for Curtis Goodwin and a minor leaguer.

George Steinbrenner wooed Wells during the winter following the 1996 season and signed the lefty to a three-year, $13.5M deal.

Though the Yankees lost the 1997 Division Series to Cleveland, Wells did his part, tossing a complete game in Game 3.  Just as the 1998 season was one of the greatest in Yankees’ history, it was arguably the best season of Wells’ career.

In addition to his perfect game, Wells led the American League with five shutouts and a career-low 1.045 WHIP ratio. Wells also came out on top with 1.2 walks/ 9 IP and a 5.62 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Additionally, he tossed eight complete games.

Wells’ regular season heroics carried over to the post-season. First, he blanked the Rangers for eight innings in a Division Series win. He followed that up by winning two of the Yankees four ALCS wins against the Indians. Both rounds saw Wells top 10 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

Though he got roughed up early in Game 1 of the World Series, Wells toughed his way through seven innings to pick up the victory that catapulted the 1998 Yankees to their 24th World Series championship.

El Duque’s Excellent Adventure

There aren’t too many Major Leaguers that have a backstory quite as interesting as that of Orlando Hernandez, aka “El Duque”. Hernandez defected from Cuba to become one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball.

Hernandez had been banned from playing baseball in his native Cuba, in part because his half-brother Livan Hernandez’s defection to the US and Major League Baseball. The Cuban government was concerned that El Duque would follow suit if given the chance.

Faced with no future in baseball, Hernandez, his girlfriend, and six others reportedly boarded a 21-foot sailboat in late 1997 and headed towards Florida. 10 hours later they ran aground on a reef in the Bahamas. The US Coast Guard found them a few days later, with the group living off of the shellfish, bread, and spam they had brought with them when they set sail from Cuba.

Offered asylum in the U.S., Hernandez instead chose Costa Rica so he wouldn’t be subject to the MLB Amateur Draft. He received that advice from Joe Cubas, a longtime agent and adviser to Latin American ball players.

Needless to say, Hernandez’s story had more holes than swiss cheese. A completely true fact, however, is that the Yankees signed Hernandez to a four-year, $6.6M deal.

The original plan was for Hernandez to re-acclimate himself with a full year in Triple-A. Those plans changed in early June when Cone’s mother’s dog bit him on his pitching hand and he had to be scratched from his scheduled start. The Yankees decided to bring up their (supposedly) 28-year old to make his Major League debut. He never went back.

Hernandez’s debut came against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and he sparkled – 7 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 7 K and a win. In his second outing six days later, Hernandez pitched a complete game four-hitter (with nine K’s) to beat Montreal.

In all, he made 21 starts and finished with a 12-4 record and 3.13 ERA. He allowed only 113 hits in 141 innings pitched and less than a home run per nine innings. His performance earned Hernandez a fourth place vote in the AL Cy Young voting.

In the post-season, Hernandez pitched like a veteran of Major League Baseball. Down two games to one to the Indians in the ALCS, Torre sent Hernandez to the mound for Game 4 in Cleveland.

With the Yankees leading 1-0 in the bottom of the 1st inning, that decision almost turned into a disaster. The Tribe had two on and two out, and slugger Jim Thome at the plate. The recent Hall of Fame inductee, crushed a 3-2 pitch to right field. It looked like a sure three-run home run but fell short and into Paul O’Neill’s glove in front of the right field wall to end the inning.

The next six innings of his seven inning start were pretty much a breeze for Hernandez, and the Yankees evened the ALCS with a 4-0 win.

Hernandez’s World Series start in Game 2 wasn’t much different than his ALCS performance. He once again threw seven strong innings, and allowed one earned run in the Yankees’ 9-3 win.

Two other starters made significant contributions that season: the late much-maligned Hideki Irabu and swing-man Ramiro Mendoza. Irabu finished 13-9, 4.06 in 28 starts and one relief appearance while Mendoza made 41 appearances, 14 of them starts. As a starter, he compiled a 6-1 record with a 3.87 ERA that included a complete game shutout.

One of the 114 regular season wins went to Jim Bruske, who tossed five innings to pick up a victory in the only start of his five-year Major League career.

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Over the years, some of the best moments have involved the Yankees, whether it was before, during, or after their time in the Bronx. I hope you enjoy these bloopers, misfires, and trick plays.

Now you see it, now you don’t

Gene Michael has built up a reputation of being one of the best front office people in baseball. He kept the Yankees on the right track when principal owner George Steinbrenner was suspended in 1990. Michael was also a good manager, but some people forget that he was a stellar-fielding shortstop.

He was also a master of the hidden ball trick. In fact, Michael successfully pulled off the maneuver on five separate occasions. The NY Post’s Steve Serby asked him about it in 2010:

Q: How did your hidden ball trick start?

A: I did it in the minor leagues a few times. I coulda done it more, but players get angry. When I was just getting ready to make my move (Ralph) Houk was crossing the line to take the pitcher out. Four or five times that happened.

Unfortunately, there is no video available showing Michael pulling off his master trick.

That’s going to leave a mark

With all of the hot air and craziness involving Jose Canseco, people forget that he was an extremely talented ballplayer. Prior to illegally enhancing his body, Canseco was a great all-around player. He hit for power, ran like the wind and had a great outfield arm. In 1988, he became the first Major Leaguer to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season.

While Canseco could throw well once he had the ball, he wasn’t always the most adept at fielding his position. As a member of the Texas Rangers, Canseco gave the gift that keeps on giving…a home run, courtesy of his cabeza. The Indians’ Carlos Martinez will always be grateful.

A Shocker

Phil Stephenson was one of the greatest college baseball players of all time. Playing for his older brother Gene, as a member of the Wichita State Shockers, Stephenson set many college records. The College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock, Texas welcomed him into their fold in 2007.

The Shockers made it to the College Baseball World Series in 1982 and were facing off against baseball powerhouse Miami Hurricanes. Stephenson had racked up an amazing 86 steals in 90 attempts, so when he reached first base against the ‘Canes, Miami was ready for him.

Pitcher Mike Kasprzak’s pickoff attempt went horribly wrong. The ball sailed down the right field line…or did it? First baseman Steve Lusby dove for the misfire and “Ball, Ball” could be heard. Stephenson, who dove back into first base, leapt to his feet and took off for second base. The problem? Kasprzak still had the baseball. To avoid being called for a balk, Kasprzak stepped off the rubber prior to pantomiming the fake throw. Stephenson was a dead duck. The Hurricanes went on to a 4-3 victory.

El Duque has a dance and a delivery service

Orlando Hernandez, aka El Duque, was one of the most colorful characters in all of Major League Baseball. And, when the game was on the line, the Yankees (1998-2002, 2004) could count on him to perform in the clutch.

To win in any sport, athletes will do whatever it takes. That includes being inventive, as El Duque was when facing the NY Mets in 1999. Mets’ shortstop Rey Ordonez hit a comebacker that El Duque fielded cleanly, but the ball got stuck in the webbing of his glove. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so El Duque threw the entire glove to first base. Tino Martinez made a nice two-handed catch as if he did it every day, and Ordonez was retired.

Another former Yankee, Terry Mulholland, first made the play famous as a member of the San Francisco Giants in a 1986 game with the Mets. This time it was Keith Hernandez‘ comebacker that got stuck in Mulholland’s glove. The left-hander ran part way to first base and then flipped the glove underhand to Bob Brenly for the out.

Paul O’Neill and Anger Management 101

During Paul O’Neill’s time as a member of the Yankees, he was an emotional, extremely intense, driven ballplayer. Some would describe it as immaturity (O’Neill’s wife Nevalee for one) but to O’Neill it was merely his competitiveness.

However, O’Neill’s attitude didn’t initially take form as a member of the Yankees. While O’Neill’s fire probably reached its peak with the Yankees, the flame was lit as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.  A day after America celebrated Independence Day in 1989, the Phillies and Reds were in the bottom of the 10th inning of a 2-2 game. With runner Steve Jeltz on second base, the Phillies’ Lenny Dykstra singled sharply to right field.

The ball proceeded to ricochet off O’Neill’s glove and body until finally, out of frustration, he kicked the ball. Remarkably, the ball made a perfect arc to first baseman Todd Benzinger. The Phillies held Jeltz as he rounded third, though it appeared he could have scored.  (However, the Reds’ reprieve was short lived…moments later a passed ball by Reds catcher Jeff Reed allowed the winning run to score.)

Coney and Knobby Take a Nap

One of the worst things you can do in baseball is to not pay attention to what’s going on. Athletes always need to be alert on the field. Otherwise, opponents can take advantage, for example, by pulling off delayed steals or taking an extra base…or two. The latter occurred in two separate incidents that involved David Cone and Chuck Knoblauch.

Cone was a member of the 1990 Mets when they faced the Atlanta Braves on the last day of April in 1990. The Braves held a 2-1 lead in the 4th inning, with two outs and two men aboard – Dale Murphy was on second and Ernie Whitt on first. The Braves’ Mark Lemke hit a tapper to the right side of the infield. First baseman Mike Marshall appeared to range too far to his right and wasn’t be able to get back to the base when second baseman Greg Jefferies fielded the ball.

Jefferies tossed to Cone covering, for what appeared to be the final out of the inning, but first base umpire Charlie Williams said otherwise. Appearing to be out of sync as he approached the first base bag, Cone dragged his right foot along the base. Needless to say, Cone went ballistic when Williams ruled Lemke safe. To make matters worse, Cone temporarily lost his mind and forgot about the base runners. Murphy and Whitt both scored without a play at the plate.

The Braves increased their lead to 4-1 and went on to a 7-4 win, their first back-to-back victories of the season. To his credit, Cone owned up to his mistake afterward.

“I’m a human being and I’m an emotional person,” Cone said. ”I snapped emotionally and I have to live with it. It’s an embarrassing moment that might have cost us a ballgame. For two minutes, I snapped. I was in my own little world.”

Yankees second baseman Chuck Knoblauch had a moment he would like to forget in the 1998 ALCS. The Yankees captured Game 1 against Cleveland, but the teams were deadlocked 1-1 in the 12th inning in Game 2. Jim Thome singled off of Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson to start the inning.

With pinch-runner Enrique Wilson on first base, Travis Fryman laid down a bunt. Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez fielded the ball and threw towards Knoblauch, who was covering first base. But, the ball struck Fryman in the back and rolled to the back of the infield.

Instead of chasing the baseball, Knoblauch stood on first base pointing to the home plate umpire in an appeal for an interference call. To make matters worse, he blew a bubble, leading one NY paper to print the headline “BLAUCH HEAD” the next morning.

Wilson stumbled around third but still scored easily to give the Indians the lead on the way to a 4-1 victory. When Cleveland won Game 3 as well, Knoblauch’s miscue became even more magnified. Thankfully for him, the Yankees won the ALCS in six games. Then, Knoblauch hit a clutch 3-run home run in Game 1 of the World Series that helped lead to a four-game sweep.

Tag Team Outs

There are times when a third base coach would like to crawl into a hole and hide. Arguably, it’s the second toughest coaching job after the manager. The pressure is tremendous. Their responsibilities include interpreting the manager’s signals and relaying them to the batter, and deciding whether to hold a runner at third or send him home. The third base coach is always blamed if the runner could have scored and was held or gets thrown out at the plate.

The aforementioned Gene Michael was the Yankees’ third base coach against the Chicago White Sox on August 2, 1985. The teams were tied 3-3 in the 7th inning when the Yankees started a rally against lefty Britt Burns. Andre Robertson began the inning with a single and Dale Berra reached on an error by third baseman Tim Hulett.

With pinch-runner Bobby Meacham replacing Robertson, Rickey Henderson drove a ball to deep left-center field. Center fielder Luis Salazar couldn’t make the catch, but Meacham mistakenly went back to second to tag up instead of playing it halfway.  As he charged toward and rounded third base, Berra was within spitting distance of him. On the replay, you can see Michael throw his hands up in frustration.

Fisk caught the relay throw at the plate and tagged out Meacham, who attempted to knock the ball out of his mitt. Fisk then quickly regained his balance and tagged out Berra, who came in standing up instead of sliding. One baseball + two outs = total embarrassment.

Up, Up, and Away

12-year veteran Major Leaguer Steve Hamilton was a tall drink of water at six feet, six inches. A dependable reliever, he spent parts of eight seasons with the Yankees. But, teammates, opponents, and fans will remember him for one thing…the “Folly Floater”.

An eephus pitch, Hamilton’s trick pitch came in like a pitch in unlimited arc softball. Imagine the release of a pitcher of Hamilton’s height, enhanced by the height of the mound, and long arms. Basically, Hamilton looked like he used a high-lob golf wedge to deliver the pith.

The batter waited and waited and waited…and then took a hellacious swing…and usually missed. Cleveland’s Tony Horton knew all about it. In the video that follows, Horton crawled the last few steps to the dugout after falling victim to the Folly Floater.

Years later, Yankees pitcher Dave LaRoche would throw his version of an eephus pitch, the “LaLob”. While not attaining the height of Hamilton’s pitch, it was pretty effective. Of course, not all eephus pitches work. El Duque would throw one once in a while, but the memory that remains is Alex Rodriguez, then of Texas, blasting a long home run off it.

The Tarp Goes on How?

Athletes are not the only ones who have issues during ballgames. The Florida Marlins grounds crew, circa 1993, will live in infamy forever. During a game with the New York Mets, the rain started to come down. The grounds crew raced out on the field and the mayhem began.

First, they rolled out the tarp out in right field, far from the infield, making their job harder. Second, they couldn’t get the tarp to the infield and hilarity ensued. Enjoy and thanks for checking out some of baseball’s offbeat moments.

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This past weekend, Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez did a signing at a Modell’s in New Jersey. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it, but my WONDERFUL girlfriend went and was able to get a ball signed for me. Couple that with the fact the Angels are in town to play the Yankees, and I can’t help but think of one of my favorite moments at the old Yankee Stadium.

It was October 7, 2005. The Yankees were getting ready to play a pivotal ALDS game three against the Angels and I had a ticket to watch. Man, I hated the Angels. It always seemed like they had the Yankees’ number. I hated Bartolo Colon. I hated John Lackey. I hated Garret Anderson. I hated K-Rod. I could go on for days. I still wasn’t over the 2002 division series.

Being that it was 2005 and the Red Sox were defending their World Series championship, I kept a close eye on their series with the White Sox. Chicago was up 2-0 in the series, and was playing game three that same night – it started at 4:09 pm ET. The Yankees game was set to start at 8:09 pm ET.

I got to the Stadium early, but there was no batting practice because it was raining. Instead of showing bloopers or some other video on the jumbotron, they decided to show the Red Sox/White Sox game which was already in progress. Chicago had a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth before Freddy Garcia gave up a solo shot to Manny Ramirez. Garcia would go on to load the bases with no out, forcing manager Ozzie Guillen to bring in El Duque.

El Duque is one of my favorite baseball players of all-time. He was so entertaining to watch, with the leg kick and the crazy arm angles he’d throw at. He always seemed to get the job done. Always came up clutch when his team needed it the most.

So here I was. At Yankee Stadium. Watching El Duque pitch at Fenway Park. It was almost surreal. He got Jason Varitek and Tony Graffanino to pop out, before striking out Johnny Damon to end the inning. No harm, no foul. The White Sox still had a 4-3 lead.

Those that were at the Stadium gave El Duque a standing ovation. He wasn’t on the Yankees at the time. He wasn’t even in the same ballpark. He was pitching for the White Sox, but he was still one of our own. He was sticking it to Boston again in Fenway, and everyone appreciated it.

El Duque ended up pitching three scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and struck out four, throwing 49 pitches – 33 for strikes. They showed the final out of the game, and the entire Stadium erupted. The Red Sox had been eliminated. The defending champs were going home. It was time to play baseball in the Bronx!

And then the Angels got in the way.

LA jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but the Yankees came back with four in the fourth and two in the fifth to take control of the game. But as you’d imagine, it didn’t last long. The Angels put up two runs in each of the next three innings. They’d win the game 11-7, pushing the Yankees’ backs against the wall, going up 2-1 in the best-of-five series.

If only the Yankees had a guy like El Duque that night! The Yankees’ pitching during those years was so bad. They were depending on guys like Aaron Small, Shawn Chacon and an old Randy Johnson.

El Duque was ageless. In 2005, he was listed as 36-years-old, but we all knew he was probably older. He went on to the win his fourth World Series ring that year with the White Sox, but he’ll no doubt be remembered as a Yankee.

On that rainy night in the Bronx, we were all reminded of El Duque’s greatness, even though he was hundreds of miles away.

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Jeter finished 2003 batting .324 with 10 homers and 52 RBIs. That postseason he batted .314 with two home runs, five RBIs and 10 runs scored across 17 games, including three hits in Game 3 of the World Series against the Marlins. Those three hits were the only hits Josh Beckett allowed during the game.

Also on this day in 1998, Orlando Hernandez made his Major League debut six months after leaving Cuba. El Duque defeated the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7-1 in New York, allowing one run on five hits through seven innings. He finished the year 12-4 with a 3.13 ERA and was fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He was part of the Yanks three straight World Series wins from 1998-2000, and was ALCS MVP in the ’99 run. He would go on to win a fourth World Series as a part of the Chicago White Sox in 2005.

He was traded to the Montreal Expos in 2003, but would never appear in a game for them due to a rotator cuff injury. He came back to the Bronx for 2004, went to Chicago in 2005, Diamondbacks and Mets in 2006 before finishing his career with the Mets in 2007. During his six year Yankee tenure, he compiled a 61-40 record and a 3.96 ERA.

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