How old is el duque

Born: October 11 , in Villa Clara, Cuba cu. Debut: June 3, Age d, 17,th in major league history vs. TBD 7. Last Game: September 30, Age d vs. FLA 1. Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during season. Nicknames: El Duque. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Are you a Stathead, too?

Subscribe to our Free Newsletter. This Month in Sports Reference Find out when we add a feature or make a change. Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? For his crimes, Ignacio received 15 years in prison. On October 29, , the Cuban state imposed further sanctions on Duque by banning him for life from any form of baseball. He was barred from even stepping onto any field in the country to practice. And now my other son is living dead.

Despite being known by name on every street corner in Cuba, El Duque was now being systematically erased from Cuban history by the state. His marriage of 11 years crumbled. He moved in with a girlfriend, into a windowless shack built out of gray cinder blocks. He chain-smoked and distributed snacks. While El Duque led mental patients through calisthenics routines in a concrete courtyard, Livan was living the high life in his luxury Miami Beach apartment, buying a new car every few months.

He won his first nine games after being called up to the big leagues. He asked for only one man: Joe Cubas. Let the nigger drown. Tio had himself been a political prisoner back in Cuba—his entire youth had been wasted serving a year sentence before he had fled to Miami during the massive Mariel boatlift of Tio was determined to save El Duque from a similar fate.

They would plot their escape by sea. Taking care to avoid the intensified surveillance on the island, Duque located the name of a smuggler in Miami and instructed his uncle to track him down. After this arrangement fell through, Duque devised a new plan.

Just a few weeks later, in December of , the Ministry of Interior summoned El Duque to their headquarters. He was notified that the government was aware of his efforts to defect and officially forbidden from entering the province of Santa Clara, home to the most convenient launch point off the island.

Cubans have always been haunted by the sea. The distance between Key West and Havana is miles, which might constitute one of the largest graveyards on Earth. The area is riddled with fatal dangers: the force of the Gulf Stream, incredibly volatile weather, and, of course, sharks.

Estimates vary, but as many as 30 percent of those who have attempted to cross those waters have perished. Finally, the perfect day El Duque had been waiting for arrived. On Christmas evening, El Duque attended a wedding with his new girlfriend, Norita. After nightfall, the pair joined four other would-be defectors including two lesser-known baseball players. By dusk the streets were empty. The launch point was Conuco Cay, just outside town.

Occasionally people were known to camp there; Duque and his companions, however, found it empty, nothing but palm trees and heavy grass running toward the beach.

They were able to drive up to almost the edge of the shore, but to get on the boat, all of them had to wade into the water. In a best-case scenario, the first leg of their journey would last 10 hours. Should anyone happen to notice them, they would claim to be on a routine fishing trip. After an hour of fake trolling, Juan Carlos, maneuvered the boat toward the Bahamas. Juan Carlos chose a narrow channel running between the islands, but because of a low tide, the boat struck bottom and became stuck.

Only after the captain himself jumped into the water and got the hull loose was the boat able to safely navigate beyond the archipelago and past the critical mile international limit.

They headed north, outside of Cuban waters, into pristine weather at seven knots. By this point, Duque had been hiding on the floor of the boiling cabin with all the other defectors for over four hours.

They were horribly seasick. When Juan Carlos finally gave the all-clear, everyone leaned over the side and retched. From there, Miami was only 70 miles away. One by one, the group of eight slid off the boat and waded toward the shores of Anguilla Cay. The shipmates needed to return to Cuba by nightfall to avoid suspicion.

After everyone gathered on the beach had watched the fishing vessel slowly disappear, they looked over their provisions: cigarettes, two cans of Spam, ten pounds of sugar, and several gallons of drinking water. The myths included all kinds of sensational details. Sharks circled him and gnawed at his raft.

The boat took on water immediately after it left Cuba and nearly sunk after its hour voyage. Biblical storms thundered and the ocean roared and heaved. Certain death was avoided only after Duque himself personally took a makeshift oar and rowed their way to freedom out of Cuba.

In reality, the escape boat, a foot craft with a diesel motor, had safely made the journey from Miami to Cuba on several occasions. He projects a magnetism unmatched by any of the other players who have come before him in the unprecedented wave of international arrivals to major league baseball in the s.

Rene Arocha, Chan Ho Park, Hideo Nomo, Rey Ordonez, Hideki Irabu, Rolando Arrojo, even Hernandez's own half brother, the languid Livan Hernandez of the Florida Marlins --those and other foreigners were either too young, too uncomfortable or, let's be honest, too boring to open a window on what it meant to them to come to the U. They have been cheered, but have they been embraced?

El Duque, who was the Joe Jackson of Cuba, banned from baseball and living in a shack behind the house of his best friend, exudes personality, even on the mound, where he is to pitching what John Hancock was to penmanship. This has served to make him baseball's version of a Powerball winner. Joe Cubas, Hernandez's agent, is shopping movie and book deals for his client while fielding marketing opportunities with cap companies, card shows, car dealerships and anybody else who's fallen for this Yankee Doodle Dandy who loves hot dogs and won a game on the Fourth of July.

Hernandez has found a home in the land of plenty, otherwise known as the roster of the Yankees, who may turn out to be the winningest team of the century. As of Aug. New York, a methodical, unspectacular offensive team whose signature weapon is the base on balls, likely will be remembered best for its polyglot pitching rotation. Since beginning the season , New York was as of Aug.

Palmeiro, Tiant, Chapman headline all-time All-Cuba team. Nine months after surgery to repair his right shoulder, Cone has reestablished himself as an ace. Meanwhile, through Aug. To opponents, one day it's hemlock, the next it's lye. There was a time when the best real and imagined out-of-nowhere baseball tales came from hamlets in the American heartland.

Now those stories come from an island country miles southeast of Miami. El Duque is the Roy Hobbs of the s. That brings us to the other story of how he got to Hooters, the one that Cubas and a production company began peddling to major film studios recently.

The foot sailboat on which Hernandez; his year-old girlfriend, Noris Bosch; and six companions supposedly fled Cuba the morning after last Christmas sounds more like a colander with every retelling of the tale, a game of telephone in which Hernandez no longer participates.

As the legend of El Duque has it, the refugees spent 10 hours at sea before landing on an uninhabited cay in the Bahamas. Until the U. Coast Guard found them three or four days later, they lived off shellfish and the little water, stale bread and Spam they had brought from Cuba.

The U. Bosch gladly accepted; she now lives in Miami. Hernandez's ex-wife raises their two daughters in Havana with his financial help, according to Orlando. They said he didn't throw hard--he was 88 to 92 mph--they worried about his ability to get lefthanded hitters out, and they weren't sure how old he was. But there was more to this guy. Was ejected by home plate umpire Mike Winters after he hit Nationals pitcher Shawn Hill with a pitch in the sixth inning on April 14th against the Nationals at Shea Made his season debut in the start on April 3rd at St.

Louis in a victory Tossed 7. Improved to with a 2. Went with three no-decisions from July 5 until the end of the season Allowed three earned runs or fewer in 21 of his 29 starts, and in 16 of his 20 starts with the Mets In addition, he permitted two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his final 18 starts The Mets were in games started by Hernandez Held right-handed hitters to a.

Became the fourth pitcher to win at least seven games in one year for the Mets after pitching for another Major League team earlier in the same season Permitted a career-high 11 earned runs in his start on Aug. The 11 runs also tied Jack Fisher for the most runs allowed in a game by a Mets pitcher Was with a 3. Held opponents to a. Recorded the win in a start at Atlanta on July Retired 17 consecutive batters from the final out in the second inning to the first out in the eighth Had his start on June 14 at Philadelphia cut short by a one hour and five minute rain delay after the third inning Went 3.

The Mets went on to defeat the Phillies, Tossed his ninth career complete game on June 8 at Arizona Allowed three hits, one run, earned, with two walks and three strikeouts as the Mets defeated Arizona, It was his first complete game since Sept. Cleveland in a victory The 9. Alay Soler pitched 9. Picked up the victory in his Mets debut on May 28 at Florida