.c The Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) - This was too good to be true.
Beyond fantasy.
First, Fidel Castro's Cuba allowed his mother to attend Game 7 of the World Series. A few hours later, 22-year-old Livan Hernandez became only the second rookie to become the World Series MVP.
"The victory, I give to her,'' he said in the middle of Pro Player Stadium, shouting so his translator could hear him. "This trophy, it's hers.''
Two years after sneaking on a flight from Mexico to Venezuela to escape Cuban baseball authorities, he had achieved the American dream. He went 2-0 in the World Series after going 2-0 in the league championship series.
Like so many Cubans, he had come to Miami and found success.
"I love you Miami!'' he yelled in English as his teammates mobbed him, showing he has picked up a few words.
Just 4 1/2 months after making his major-league debut, he already has two MVP trophies, one from the Series and one from the LCS.
His mother didn't get to see him pitch earlier this week. But she got to see him win.
"I am very happy to be here with my son and to see this last game,'' she said in a statement issued by baseball after she reached the ballpark. "I want to give thanks to the Lord for making this possible.''
Conditions back in Cuba are unimaginable for U.S. players. Hernandez rode his bicycle to games. For Cubans, the only time to get big exposure is in the Olympics.
"As a child, I didn't even think of this,'' he said. "It was something that never even passed through my mind.''
Even last year seems like eons ago. Hernandez had put on 20 pounds, becoming addicted to fast-food burgers. Baseball wasn't the only thing in his life that had changed.
"Last year, there were a lot of things affecting me: the preoccupations with adjusting to the American way of life, the worries about my family and how they were doing,'' he said. "I ate too much, adjusting to the differences in food. I had no friends. I didn't know anyone, really.''
What a difference. A year ago, he didn't know anyone. Now, every baseball fan knows him.
AP-NY-10-27-97 0057EST