The 1998 season had looked very promising for the New York Yankees. After all, they had won 114 games during the regular season, at that point the single season record, and had easily swept the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. However, they would face their toughest test in the 1998 ALCS, the reigning American League champions, the Cleveland Indians.
After the Yankees won Game 1, Cleveland stole home field advantage in the 12th 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 28th, 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 2nd, El Duque, with his new agent Joe Cubas, was officially a free agent.
March 17th, 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 13th, 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.
