Rene Arocha expects dozens of friends and family to be at Joe Robbie Stadium when the St. Louis Cardinals’ pitcher faces the Marlins on Wednesday.
But one person won’t be there. Gretel, Arocha’s 8-year-old daughter, remains in Cuba, a hostage of Arocha’s decision to defect two years ago.
It is the price Arocha is paying for having embarrassed Cuban president Fidel Castro. On July 10, 1991, Arocha walked out of Miami International Airport and into a waiting car while the Cuban national baseball team waited to board a flight to Havana.
It was the first time a Cuban defected from Castro’s beloved baseball team. Arocha’s ensuing attempts to bring Gretel to the United States following his defection were quashed by Cuban officials.
“What I did was a slap in the face to Fidel Castro,” said Arocha, who played on three world championship teams while in Cuba. “Now they’re making me pay through my daughter. I want to see her a great deal, but nothing is for sure.”
Arocha’s hopes of seeing his daughter are buoyed by the efforts of Orestes Lorenzo, another high-profile Cuban defector. Lorenzo is the Cuban Air Force pilot who escaped the island nation last year in a fighter jet then returned to pull off a daring rescue of his wife and two sons.
“Orestes Lorenzo is a hero to me,” Arocha said. “He gave Fidel two slaps in the face, first by defecting and then returning and freeing his family. I’ve given Fidel only one slap, but I intend on giving him a second.”
First there is the business of baseball. Arocha has pitched very well this season. His only poor outing came Friday in an 8-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs in which Arocha gave up a season-high 6 runs in 5 innings. Arocha won his first five decisions and is 5-2 with a 3.05 earned run average. Six of his nine starts have lasted at least seven innings. He spent a 15-day stint on the disabled list in April after breaking the ring finger on his glove hand.
“If he doesn’t get hurt (again), he’ll win 15,” said Cardinals broadcaster Mike Shannon. “If he’s lucky, he’ll win 20.”
Arocha’s success surely has surprised the skeptics who doubted whether the Cuban had the ability to reach the major leagues. After Arocha defected, scores of scouts arrived in Miami to take a look. Most left unimpressed. A Milwaukee Brewers’ scout said a handful of high school pitchers in Miami had better stuff than Arocha.
“I was told it was very difficult to judge how good he was,” said Angel Vasquez, the Marlins’ director of Latin American operations. “He hadn’t pitched in some time and he was out of shape. The whole aggravation of defecting affected him.”
When Arocha received clearance to sign with a major league team and a special lottery was held, only eight clubs took part. The Marlins were not eligible to participate.
“I read some of the things the scouts said and the baseball columinists wrote and it hurt,” Arocha said. “But at the same time, I knew inside that I could pitch.”
His stats last season proved as much. Arocha spent the year at Triple-A Louisville where he was 12-7 with a 2.70 ERA. He tied for the American Association lead in victories, was third in ERA and third in strikeouts (128 in 166 innings).
St. Louis manager Joe Torre’s plan was to use Arocha in middle relief this season, but when the Cardinals traded pitcher Mark Clark to Cleveland, Arocha was made a starter. In his first major league start, Arocha pitched eight innings and beat Cincinnati.
Arocha, who speaks very little English, said his success this season is a message to Castro.
“I am a representative of what Fidel has done to keep his people down,” said Arocha, 27. “He is despicable, ruining the lives of so many people. I am living proof of what Cubans can accomplish if they are given their freedom, which is the most precious thing in life.”
Freedom is something Arocha craves for his daughter as well as his mother, sister and grandfather who remain in Cuba. Gus Dominguez, Arocha’s Los Angeles-based agent, said the pitcher has requested permission on several occasions from the Cuban government to see his family.
“We come up with the same old red tape everytime,” Dominguez said. “The Cubans say it has nothing to do with the fact he defected, but that’s just the official line.”
Arocha said he’s often been asked why he abandoned his family two years ago. If he loves his daughter so much, the question goes, why did he walk away from her?
“Defecting was the only real way to help my family in the long run,” said Arocha, who was married in Cuba but has since divorced and remarried. “Leaving them was the hardest thing I ever had to do. It’s still very difficult at times. I’ll never forget my family.”
Arocha, who earns the major league minimum salary, said he helps his family in Cuba by sending money. Arocha’s first thoughts after receiving his initial major league paycheck were of his family and other top Cuban players. Cuban national team members earn the equivalent of $125 a month.
“There are so many players in Cuba who would be big stars in the United States,” said Arocha, mentioning the names of Omar Linares, Antonio Pacheco, Lazaro Valle and Omar Ajete. “But it won’t happen because Castro is a selfish man.”
Arocha said he isn’t political. His beef with Castro is personal.
“The better I do, the worse it is for him,” Arocha said.
