October 14, 2002
BASEBALL: Viva Cuba!
Through last night's start by Livan Hernandez, ten Cuban-born pitchers have appeared in the postseason, with a combined record of 23-9 with a 2.70 ERA in 296.1 IP spread over 38 postseason serieses. Only two Cuban-born pitchers have had a losing record in the postseason: Camilo Pascual and Diego Segui, each 0-1. The bulk of the pitching has been done by Orlando Hernandez (9-3, 2.51), Mike Cuellar (4-4, 2.85), Livan Hernandez (6-0, 2.84) and Luis Tiant (3-0, 2.86), with honorable mention to Dolf Luque (1-0, 9.1 scoreless IP). Why? It can be dangerous to generalize, but in this case it's incredibly obvious: with the possible exception of Pascual, each of these pitchers was a master of deception, with a wide array of pitches and varied deliveries. That variety can be a major asset in the postseason, against anxious hitters who may not have seen the pitcher much, if at all, during the regular season. Even so, it's an impressive record.