The hero of the 1997 World Series, former Cuban pitcher Liván Hernández, arrived in Miami this Saturday to participate in Cuban Heritage Day, held at Marlins Stadium.
"I love this because it brings together all nationalities. Today is the celebration of the Cuban heritage, but I love it when it is the day of the Venezuelan, the Dominican, the Puerto Rican," said the villaclarense.
"I am Cuban by birth, 100% Cuban, I represented the Cuban blood and all Cubans in the Major Leagues, and that was my dream, to defend my country and my flag, and I think that when one goes there and does things like that, everything turns out well," he said in statements to the press.
Hernández, back in the city where he triumphed in the Major Leagues, expressed that "what we need here is more support for Cubans."
"We have to support ourselves. Dominicans support their baseball players to the death, as well as Venezuelans, and we have to do the same. We have to give a lot of support to Cuban baseball players so we can continue to grow in the Major Leagues," he stressed.
He then mentioned that currently he usually wakes up at dawn to train the Perfect Game teams (13U and 14U) in Fort Pierce, the largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service in the world.
Orlando "El Duque" Hernández's brother played 17 seasons in MLB.
He was a pitcher who was never on the injured list during his 17-season career, totaling 177 wins in Major League Baseball.
Likewise, he was the leader three times in innings pitched, twice in starts, and twice in complete games.
With the Florida Marlins, in 1997, he won the Most Valuable Player award in the National League Championship Series and then in the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. It was in this ceremony where he uttered his phrase "I LOVE YOU MIAMI!" which has been the most enduring in the Marlins' baseball history and with which he captured the heart of the city.
Last April, he was nominated to be inducted into the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame this 2024.
Cuban Heritage Day will be celebrated this Saturday at Marlins Stadium with a baseball game between the Miami Marlins and the New York Mets, followed by great music featuring musicians from the island such as El Chacal.
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