La Vida Voices: The Game with Livan Hernández

Livan Hernández and the Florida Marlins enjoyed an incredible run in 1997. That season was the realization of a dream for Hernández. Part of the reason why the Cuba native had defected to play in the Major Leagues was to prove himself against the best in the big leagues. Witty, self-effacing, and thoughtful, Hernández reflects on his career. He shares his game-day rituals and routine in preparing to pitch, what it was like to go through the 1997 pennant run, and his decision to take in the moment when Edgar Rentería stepped up to bat and get the hit that won it all for the Marlins in ’97.

The Game

What was your game day routine?

I’m the kind of guy, when I get to a clubhouse, the first thing I do before I change, I put the music… I like hip-hop and reggaeton, and all that. I like salsa, but the day you pitch, you not listening to merengue and salsa because it’s more calm. You got to put something loud and everybody like it, because you put the music on for the people that are in the clubhouse.

Did you have a regular pregame meal?

I like Chinese food before the game, sometimes. And I take it, and I started winning, winning, winning. Once I lose, I changed it to the Latin food again [laughter].  I started with Italian food, I eat everything. You can see I eat everything. I got a weight problem. I can’t wait to eat.

What was your routine when you were ready to go for game time?

Next is going to the video room, because you make a book and see who you’re facing that day. I go and grab the lineup and see who is in the lineup that day. See if we got speed people on the top of the lineup, and so make sure you got to get these people out –especially if you got somebody like [Billy] Hamilton. You don’t want that guy make it to first base because it’s going to be so difficult to get that guy. That guy, he got at least two stolen bases in every game. And when he’s getting on base he makes it so difficult to have a good day and have a good game that night — he can change the game a little bit.

What memories do you have of that ’97 season?

I think in ’97 we got the best team in the world. We got the best team in the world that year. We go to spring training. We lose only five games in spring training. That one, I think, is the record. I don’t know. It’s five games in spring training. And when we played that year, we know that we will do something special that year because it’s a lot of veteran people in the team and a lot of young guys like Rentería, Castillo, Counsell, Heredia, too many people there, Charlie Johnson. And the combination was a good chemistry.

When you’ve got a team like that– today, the team that win in the field is the thing–you’re winning inside the clubhouse because everybody love each other. It’s 162 games there. So you have to have fun with the guys in the clubhouse. Last year, Chicago win because that team is everybody’s in– you see the news, everybody dressed and flying over there, dress white, dress a different color. But it’s always about have fun and enjoy it every day because it’s 162.

What were your thoughts as you saw that Renteria single and Counsell crossing home in that Game 7 in ’97?

It’s a good question because there’s nobody else in the bullpen and Leyland told me, “Hey, you can throw?” I said, “Yeah, yeah.” I don’t throw for two days, and I go into the bullpen, and when I throw the first pitch, it bounced right there. I said, “Oh, my God. I’m in trouble.” I thought I throw a curve ball, and the curve is not working. And I started warming up fast and asking for a Cuban coffee. Bring Cuban coffee. Drink. I tried to do everything right because maybe I go into the game and pitch three or four innings. And when I’m there warming up, I said, “I’m going to stop,” and I watched Renteria hit.

The line drive was so slow and lagg-y, and you see it hit the glove. And the ball is like– let me tell you something right now. I don’t believe in a lot of stuff, but I got to believe that ball has got an angel flying it because it’s so soft that the guy hit it in the glove. He don’t catch it, but it hit him soft, and the ball continue to center field. And I think the whole thing is history, and we win the World Series, and I started jump. I running over there and jump on top of Renteria. I get up at 2:00 or 5:00 in the morning. And I got a brand new Mercedes. Everybody jumped on top of the car. I remember. I got to sell the car the next three days because the bumper in the front, the roof is– it’s unbelievable. But we win the World Series.

Featured Image: Rhona Wise / AFP