New life in Brazil for former Cuban pitcher Roidel Enríquez (INTERVIEW)

"I am ashamed to see baseball games in Cuba with empty stands; the quality doesn’t even come close to my time, let alone the times before mine. The migration of players is hitting us hard from an early age."

Sports
Julita Osendi

August 18, 2024 - 9:43 AM (GMT-5) |

Cargando — Roidel EnriquezPhoto © Courtesy of the interviewee

Roidel Enriquez © Cortesía del entrevistado — Roidel EnriquezPhoto © Courtesy of the interviewee

On many occasions, the name Roidel Enríquez has been heard in connection with the National Baseball Series and the Villa Clara team, as the right-hander participated in eight seasons in Cuban baseball, both as a starter and as a reliever.

Subsequently, his role as a coach proved commendable, something that has allowed him to work today in the bustling Brazilian city of São Paulo.

Indeed, I have been living in Sao Paulo since 2019; I arrived by crossing the border. I had a ticket to Guyana at that time, from there I crossed in a small plane to the border. I entered Brazilian territory by land and was normally received by migration authorities who grant legal access to the country. After two years, I obtained my permanent residency.

What is your role in Sao Paulo? I know Brazilian-Japanese baseball, and it is different in its standards from Cuban baseball.

Exactly: Brazilian-Japanese! Here, all the baseball that is known is of Japanese descent. There are several clubs in this great city that have been expanding to other cities for years, but for the size of a huge country like this, the promotion is limited.

You have lived it, Julita: these clubs only operate on weekends, although they hold their inter-club championships throughout the year. I am a coach at one of these clubs. I work directly with them in various categories on Saturdays and Sundays.

During the weekdays, I provide private training at some medical or engineering universities that also have their teams and competitions and require specialized technicians. On top of that, there are some athletes interested in private classes.

There is a training center where the most talented players are prepared, aspiring to sign contracts in the MLB. There, they train every day with all the conditions accessible to them. The issue is that not everyone can afford the tuition payment at that academy.

So, are talents lost then?

They could be lost, but now Major League Baseball will sponsor some talented athletes with fewer economic means. As you can see, baseball here works very differently than in Cuba. Firstly, it is not the main sport of the country; soccer is the passion, the craze, it is everything, it is the national sport.

And there are even other more well-known and publicized sports than baseball; for example, basketball and volleyball. Here, the parents and sometimes the clubs pay for everything. Sometimes you can be the best player on a team, and if your financial situation is not the best, you cannot represent your country in any event. Sponsorships come up, but everything is very different from what we used to know.

I have known you since you were almost a child, and I know how family-oriented you are. Has exile hit you hard?

Don't even say it. You know me very well, and for me, my family is everything. You can imagine how I've been since it took 4 and a half years to finally visit my people in Cuba. Now I was able to get a tourist visa for my parents, who are here with me applying for their permanent residency.

I am married to a Venezuelan, but she lives in another city. I have two daughters; the 20-year-old lives with her mom in Miami, and I hope the 17-year-old finishes high school so I can bring her too.

Do you live only from baseball?

Of course not; baseball is one of my sources of income here, but you can't live only off baseball. It's a capitalist country where bills come from every direction. And you always need to do other things to increase your income sources. I have done things I never imagined I would do, but that doesn't matter if you manage to meet your needs and now, those of my parents.

What was your last participation in Cuban baseball?

You know that after my retirement I became a coach. In this role, I said goodbye with Villa Clara under Eduardo Paret in 2019, when we lost the final to Las Tunas.

Are you from the now dysfunctional high-performance pyramid?

Well, yes; in my time, there were few who didn't come through that route. I started at the EIDE in the 10-12 age category; I participated in several World Championships in all age groups: 13-15 years, 15-16, Youth, University.

I know you have an unpleasant anecdote from that youthful time.

In 1996, the Youth World Championship took place in Sancti Spíritus. I had just finished 12th grade at the National ESPA, and we had to spend a mandatory 45-day pre-training in a military unit, a requirement to enroll in University; in my case, Fajardo. On weekends, we were allowed to leave that military unit, and as a young person, I wanted to play baseball, I wanted to pitch. And that’s when the injury happened.

How was it, didn't you have a coach to guide you?

No. Of course not. We played in the development league in the western region of the country, as the Cuba youth team, but my training was not adequate within that military unit to be able to pitch on weekends.

At that moment, at 17 years old, no one takes care of themselves alone. The mentality was that we could do it, and that's when I injured my shoulder, the rotator cuff, the deltoid area, something that was fatal for me. Nevertheless, I attended the World Championship in that category.

I remember that before you got injured, you had good speed.

Yes; I had been to Japan twice with Jonder Martínez, I won the gold medal game at the World Cup in Mazatlán, Mexico, 1994. I went to the Youth World Cup in 1995 in Boston, United States with Pedro Chávez; I was in a very nice stage of my school and youth life. I had already been to Brazil in 1993, to Mexico 94, where as I told you we won the World Cup, and that same year I went to Japan with Miguel Valdés.

Prodigal years with a prodigal youth: Michel Enríquez, Yuli Gourriel, Frederich Cepeda, Joan Carlos Pedroso, Norberto González, Iosvany Peraza.

That's right, a tremendous team! In 1995, I went to Japan again and then to the Youth World Cup. In 1996, we went to a high-altitude training in Mexico before the World Cup in Sancti Spíritus. The injury ended a very happy period with national and international titles and sub-titles in the school and youth stages. It was a beautiful youth career, with results. After the World Cup in Sancti Spíritus, everyone returned to their respective provinces, and in my case, I spent a year without throwing due to my injury. That would mark the end of my youth category.

Tell me something about those eight years with Villa Clara in the National Series.

The first thing is to recognize that pitching as an adult is something else, a different way of seeing life; it was a new stage. I always thought about having a long, stable career of quality. I started with that great man whom God has in glory, Pedro Pérez, an immense pitching coach and, humanly, the best.

It was he who decided that I was not going to pitch in my first year; on the contrary, he started my recovery stage, although I was always with the team in all the games. I felt very good with all those players like Ángel López, Luis Toca, Eduardo Paret, Ariel Pestano, Rafael Orlando Acebey, Eddy Rojas, Oscar Machado, Rolando Arrojo, Eliécer Montes de Oca, José Ramón Riscart… All under the leadership of that great manager Pedro Jova.

Phew! A precious time that turned into another terrible one.

That's right, Julita; you experienced it firsthand. It was the year (1996) when the sanctions began; our great team Villa Clara was dismantled. First, Arrojo stayed at that top with the Americans, prior to the Atlanta Games. Later that year, Villa Clara went to its fifth consecutive final, which it lost against Pinar del Río.

And many of those I just mentioned, members of the Cuba team, were going to Mexico for altitude training in Pastejé at that time. Then the rumors would begin about a phone call indicating a possible defection, which would lead to that terrible time of witch hunts. So... they all collectively paid for such injustice! Upon returning from Aztec lands, those absurd sanctions were announced that no one could understand. Not even we who were there understood what had really happened.

I was very young, dreaming of playing with those great figures that I enjoyed so much championship after championship. Only Arrojo remained. Nothing was ever proven against those who were accused; there wasn't a single piece of evidence of "treason?" nor that such a call even existed with such motives. Investigations began, and suddenly, everyone was sanctioned: Pedro Jova, Kiki (coach Luis Enrique González), Luis Toca, Osmany García, Ángel López, Eduardo Paret. Víctor Mesa had retired.

That was a very hard blow for the province. Imagine the main figures of a team with their coaches, all out at the same time. It was difficult to hear the anecdotes from Paret saying that they weren't allowed to enter the "Sandino."

That was a total confusion; it wasn't clear who was coming back and who wasn't.

They only told us that it was a serious indiscipline and that they had betrayed the principles of the sport. Many continue coming to Cuba and do not want to make this part of their past public to avoid hurting themselves, but Ángel López (who lives in Tampa today) has indeed explained everything very clearly.

I remember Villa Clara in 1997.

Oh Julita, you don't forget anything. A team dismantled under the leadership of Luis Jova that couldn't even qualify. To make matters worse, Jorge Díaz left afterwards. Little by little, some tried to leave the country several times, until they succeeded. Among those was Maikel, Jova's son.

Although he was able to return, play, and even had a nice farewell, Paret lives in Miami; the others, including Toca, have not gone back to Cuba and live in the United States.

After this debacle, Villa Clara rose again like a Phoenix, and that has only one name: Víctor Mesa. Did the Cuban baseball show favor baseball in Villa Clara as a manager or not?

Of course, it was needed, and Víctor Mesa's arrival was very good for a team that needed that injection of aggression and passion to make things go well. Then, in 1998 and until 2000, under the command of Roberto Rodríguez, the team took a second wind and we started to qualify again, even though we didn't advance much in the playoffs. However, when Víctor arrived, we believed we could do it. It was a different mindset, a different drive.

It is said that Víctor was very dominant. Did he treat them poorly?

No. He was very demanding, he pushed us because he knew we could give more! Ah! He would shout and everyone didn’t take it the same way, yes! We had to adapt to his temperament. His character was difficult, and when he was upset, it was better to leave him alone. One had to know when to reach out to him. Personally, I have a lot to thank him for; I learned a lot from him, I learned that if the mind is strong, anything else can be achieved. We were fortunate to form a great team, although it's true… we could never win. We always made it to the final or the semi, but we lacked that last step.

Later, when he managed Matanzas, he continued to be that controversial coach who would create quite a mess during a baseball game; the same one who impressed with his shouts or a few claps and with whom the umpires didn't even want to be in the same game.

According to your opinion, what did Víctor Mesa lack in order to win a championship?

Look, when I saw him in Matanzas, I realized that he needed to fundamentally change his methods in the playoffs. Everything is different in the postseason. He was making the most of all his players during the regular season, the numbers were impressive; but in the playoffs, everything is different. The pressure doubles.

What can you tell me about Roidel Enríquez in his eight National Series?

As you know, I worked as a starter and reliever; I achieved 50 wins, and being used as a fireman prevented me from increasing that number. It was very difficult for me to regain the speed that characterized me in my early stages, but I strengthened my mindset. I learned from the opponent's weaknesses. Our coaches and psychologists helped a lot with that. I was characterized by my control; I learned to be even-tempered.

Roidel Enríquez also perfected a good curveball that was not very common at the time since most pitchers preferred to use the slider and fast pitches.

I lived through the era of the aluminum bat, so I had to rely on intelligence. I had several seasons with more than 10 wins and was among the top 10 pitchers in earned run average in the country. Internationally, I went to the 2003 University World Cup, which we won with Lourdes Gourriel as the manager. I also went to the Rotterdam tournament in the Netherlands twice.

As a firefighter, Enríquez battled against the star players Orestes González, from Pinar del Río, and Amauri Sanit, an industrial player. However, when Yolexis Ulacia joined the Villa Clara team and took on the closer role, he returned to his role as a starting pitcher alongside Lázaro Borroto, Yoide Castillo, and Eliécer Montes de Oca.

Ariel Pestano as a catcher?

Pestano always conveyed a lot of confidence to me; we are both from Caibarién and have known each other since we were kids, although he is four years older. Our families have known each other for years. We were roommates for several seasons. He was always a great teacher, although I often helped him as well.

I came to learn and, with intelligence, know how to decide at certain moments what was best, and sometimes that advice is also needed, even if you are a star.

Do you think Pestano has been the best catcher in Cuban baseball, above Juanito Castro, Pedro Medina, and Albertico Martínez?

I saw those great players when I was very young, but the numbers are there. Without a doubt for me, and I respect other opinions, Pestano is the best catcher that Cuba has ever had. This is confirmed by comments from José Ariel Contreras, testifying in his anecdotes, with him receiving without signs.

Speaking of anecdotes, do you have anything that has marked you?

Several things stood out to me, but Eduardo Paret's return to CUBA after a sanction that no one understood moved me. Víctor Mesa had a lot to do with that return. Paret played in the 2001 World Cup in Taipei, China, the 2004 Athens Olympics, and the first World Baseball Classic in 2006, among other events.

Just as there is no day without night, the counterpart was the unjust decision to leave Pestano out of the third World Classic. Due to a whim linked to personal problems (Víctor-Pestano), they put a stop to the career of that great player who still had fuel in his tank to wear the uniform of that team. These are two moments that involve the same person but in different decisions. I have never in my life seen anyone with so much determination to do something in our country!

Power that benefited me because, when my oldest daughter was about to be born, I told Víctor that I had nowhere to live, and he said, “earn more than 10, that's my problem,” and that's how I won my apartment in the municipality of Caibarién, where I was born.

At just 28 years old, you say goodbye as a pitcher.

I was resentful of my old injury; we were forced to play in the provincial league. The conditions are not the same. It is true that we had to defend that municipality where we first learned to hold a glove and a baseball, but the preparation was not the same. There was no gym, and there was no demand from the coaches and others. Only those who could train did so at that stage. That’s when I got injured again, and I never returned after that.

What did you do then?

I graduated from the Higher Institute of Physical Culture; I went to work in Venezuela for two years, and upon returning in 2011, I was called to assist in the preparation of Villa Clara as a support coach when Ramón Moré debuted. The following year, I became a bullpen coach, and that was the season when we won the final against Matanzas led by Víctor, thanks to Pestano's home run that we enjoyed so much. I didn't achieve it as an athlete, but I did as a coach.

I hold in my heart having helped in the preparation of Jordan Martínez (with whom I shared school years) and being part of the excellent performance of the staff that also included Fredy Asiel Álvarez, Yodanys Castillo, Yovani Pérez, and left-handers Misael Silverio and Yasmani Hernández.

Then I was in charge of the pitchers for two seasons, and I was selected as the pitching coach for the Orientales team in three All-Star Games. I could tell you much more, like the times they considered some who weren't even there, others with more name perhaps, but in the end, I was underestimated when it came time to make a national selection.

No one gave me a little push, no one recognized my work; disappointment takes over you. Seeing that the work is there, that the results are there and… no one remembers Roidel Enriquez!

I am listening to the final game Pinar - Las Tunas and there I started to connect with Brazil. It's true that baseball is not the number one sport, there is no professional league... But here I am! I've been here for five years.

What do you think about the current health status of Cuban baseball?

I am ashamed to see baseball games in Cuba with empty stands; the quality is nowhere near what it was in my time, let alone before my era. The migration of players is hitting us hard from a young age. They don't want to do anything to try to keep our players a little longer.

We know that everyone's dream is to compete at the highest level and obtain benefits for themselves and their family. We cannot pretend in Cuban baseball that we are all equal. Players all around the world, in any league, earn based on what they do.

Not everyone can earn the same or have the same benefits. That needs to be earned; for those just starting out, they should strive to grow, and for those who are stable, they shouldn't let themselves fall. We must adapt to the modern world; we need to leave behind the thoughts of the past.

How many things have harmed Cuban baseball and nothing has been done? Sometimes our players in Japan are not at their best, and still, they are taken to compete for Cuba. And like that, many other things, like not being able to pay a player what they truly deserve.

So the progress is further away every day. Baseball is expensive. From the materials used to play to the cost of a nine-inning game. One has to adapt to all that. It was achieved with volleyball; late, but it was achieved. Other sports have managed to broaden the scope.

So let's give someone who feels for baseball the opportunity to do something in our country that improves what every Cuban wants to see and enjoy. Talents aged 13, 14, and 15 are leaving for the Dominican Republic. It doesn't matter the CUBA; what matters is securing their future because everyone knows that whoever manages to sign will secure part of their life.

Do something to prevent those talents from leaving at an early age, take advantage of them as a country that you claim to have trained so much. So why do you let them go?