Four years ago I had the privilege of meeting in person Pedro Jose Rodriguez, the legendary Cheito who wrote his baseball history with indelible ink from home.
It was in Cienfuegos, his homeland, on a small balcony overlooking the sea. He arrived on time and we spent a few hours talking about baseball and other herbs. From that day on, I admired him twice, because Cheo had an enviable humility.
In the text I published later (Cubadebate, 04.12.2017) I said that “I strip balls for entertainment and hit at home out of pure love for the art of hitting”, I evoked them 15 homers in 45 bat-bats during the American centers in Medellín ’78and I regretted – how not to do it? – the unforgivable sanction that took him off the field for accepting a stupid $ 92.
The following is an excerpt from that interview with which, on a lucky afternoon, he linked me the biggest natural slugger I’ve ever seen in Cuba. Our Babe Ruth special, unrepeatable in power and simplicity.
Who were the best home runners in the National Series?
-There are many. Capiró, Romelio, Muñoz, Kindelán, Linares, Casanova, Marquetti …
To what extent did you have to struggle with “biotype theory”?
-I come from a family of players. My father was shorter than me and he beat her to hell. From there I inherited power. I think I gained weight for genetic reasons, because I never ate a lot of rice and beans, but I usually played with 90 kilograms and that got me into a mess with some technicians who put a lot of emphasis on body weight. I remember a pre-selection training session in which they made Romelio lose weight, then the man could not hold the bat and left him out of the team.
List me some of your biggest hits …
-In Santa Clara I took a ball between the left and the center that went to an organoponic called La Lechuguita or something. In Las Tunas I found one that ended up in the cemetery. And in Latin, during an All-Star Game, I got a connection that was about to leave the park, and I finally hit the back of the third section of the garden.
Who were your teachers?
-I learned to hit with my grandfather and then with my father, who at the triumph of the Revolution was in Triple A with the Cleveland Indians. Then several good coaches came in who hit me and polished me.
Why are Cuban hitters so deficient today?
-The problem of talent development is partly due to the fact that the boys are cared for by many graduates, well-trained people, but with little practical knowledge. And hitting is very difficult. Anyone who reads a card and if they are smart can already pass this knowledge on to a player. But how to do it does not dominate it thoroughly, because only the one who played knows that, especially if he did it at a good level.
What was your favorite pitch for home?
-I liked the short ball, the one that the pitcher throws to get out. He hit her without problems, it was an innate ability he had.
Is he hit or missed at home?
-I don’t really believe that running home comes out on its own. I went out to look for him many times and it was given to me many times. He loved running from home. I would rather hit 5-1 with a round at home than 5-5 without any. And in two strikes I kept watching him; nothing to cut the cradle to seek contact. I even liked to predict them when I analyzed the pitcher enough.
Do you think you were a studious bully?
-Fairly. If the jugs taught me nothing more than a “chanting” of the hand, I could normally give them a warning already. It is an ease that develops over the years, if you are not too rude. Natural talent is not enough, you have to use your head as well. Here is the case of Giancarlo Stanton, a player with enormous strength, but who hit for years with the same short ball and out.
Muñoz says that one day you predicted two runs from home …
-That was in a championship I already won. It was the last day, against Constructores, and I was at home behind Muñoz. So I said, “Guajiro, hurry up, I’m going to hit two runs from home today, try to hit one so you can hit me less often. I hit her one time for the first time, hit her in the seventh, and when she got home, I asked her, “Stay around, I’ll lose her again.” That’s how it was”.
How did you send for the bats?
-Misifú, a historical fighter from Villa Clara, was tasked with spreading many of those anecdotes. He liked it when I told him “pick up the bats, that ends here.” He would go and start putting them aside, and when the beater behind him asked him why he was doing this, he would tell him that I had sent him.
What were the best doubles in the National Series?
-The one between Linares and Casanova did not last long, because one arrived when the other was close to leaving. Pacheco and Kindelán agreed; they were players of the same generation. Another very strong one was that of Marquetti and Capiro. But the truth is that the statistics speak very well of who Muñoz and I are.
Tell me about that sad moment, the punishment …
–I still haven’t been able to find out what was the reason for so much cruelty. No one could explain it to me. He has been on the national team for twelve years, getting big money offers everywhere. Scouts have been following me since I was a junior. However, this was not taken into account in the analysis of my case. I feel that I should have been sanctioned, because at the end of the day the possession of dollars was forbidden in the country, but three years it seems to me that they were an excessive punishment.
What happened next?
-When I returned from Venezuela, it seemed to me that I had killed someone or had a contagious disease, because the same people who had encouraged me before turned their backs on me. And the worst thing is that he was physically whole.
In time, you came back. How was that moment of return?
-In Latin they gave me a spectacular reception, and here at Cienfuegos I won’t even tell you. People stood and applauded me for a few minutes, as if the applause was eternal.. But I wasn’t full anymore and I really started having problems with one eye and Achilles’ heel. I only had ten runs in three years, it wasn’t the same and I decided to retire.
Do you think you could have run 500 runs at home?
-At the pace I was walking, maybe it was, especially considering that after that the bats were better and the balls, more alive. But it couldn’t have been for me. Someone else might one day.
How many more years could you play for the Cuba team?
-I think it would have lasted another two or three years in the team, because the plan was for Linares to start in the short break, where I had a shot at that moment.
Give me a dream team from the national series …
-I really liked Lázaro Pérez, Juan Castro, Albertico, Medina in the capture, but I will stay with Pestano. And in the painting Muñoz, Anglada, Jova and Linares. In the center Víctor, and on corners Fernando Sánchez and Casanova. As appointed, Capiró. Left-handed pitcher, Tati Valdés. Okay, Pedro Luis Lazo. And the manager must be between Servio Borges and Jorge Fuentes.
And Cheito doesn’t play?
-To play as the second designated.