Sculpted to win

Long before his physical departure, Tati Valdés had become an immortal of Cuban baseball.

The batter slid his hands over the aluminum bat and the swing, just before fading, managed to hit the ball. Fausto Álvarez, who has had a tormenting night at the plate, does not seem entirely sure if the fly ball he hit was hitting a slow curveball, a devastating knuckleball, or, perhaps, the typical Jorge Luis Valdés Berrier splitter.

Any of those pitches, which he usually uses as weapons of extermination in every duel between left-handers and left-handers, can be lethal. “Tati” Valdés has just come down from the mound, finishing one of his legendary and unique wind-ups. The moment is exciting. The Henequeneros fans vibrate with emotion and, in this historic moment, it doesn’t matter what Tati threw.

The feeling that inspires so much is that, once again, a baseball was thrown from his prodigious left-handed arm. And now, the pitch can be glorious. The ball is in the air. It's a fly ball that, with runners on first and second and one out, you don't expect to end up opening the doors for the end of the game.

Reinaldo Mora, the runner on second base, who came in after hitting a pinch-hit single, headed to third base. Shortstop Armando Dueñas Sr. fielded the fly ball masterfully. And he quickly made a throw to the second baseman. The play was completed by the combination "6-4-5," and the double play ended the game. The Henequeneros are the new baseball champions!

Yes, 20 years later!

Tati Valdés won again! The final victory by 8-1 completed the third pitching jewel of Tati Valdés, who won three of the four games of the final against the "Aplanadora" from Santiago de Cuba. Three victories in six games! That was incredible, literally a feat.

Tati pitched 25 innings in one week against one of the most powerful lineups in the history of the National Series. The fatigue didn't matter. It didn't matter how many pitches he had to throw to the plate. For Tati, it only mattered to climb the hill and find the perfect mix of pitches to make the Henequeneros invincible.

In that championship game at the Guillermón Moncada stadium, Tati led the way and exceeded expectations. He left Santiago de Cuba on five hits, four singles, and a solo home run by Orestes Kindelán when La Aplanadora saw its hopes shatter, losing 7-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning. In three starts, Tati allowed only six runs, struck out 21 opponents, and walked just five. It was a classic performance by a classic hero, one of the most dominant pitchers of all time in the National Series.

Now, 35 years later, Cuban baseball is in mourning. Legend Jorge Luis “Tati” Valdés has died at the age of 63. He was the majestic left-handed pitcher with the number “38” who pitched in 20 National Series and sealed an unprecedented legacy. No left-hander has won more games in history. No left-hander has gotten more complete games or more shutouts. No left-hander was as influential in the so-called golden era of Cuban baseball in the National Series.

When I think of Tati and the career that inspired so many pitchers for years, three words come to mind as quickly as his unreachable curveball spun: Mastery, consistency, and effectiveness.

The combination of those three powers turned Tati into a classic ace who was almost invincible once he got on the mound. Few, if any, won more games pitching for teams with a losing record. Tati won 106 games in the National Series with teams that finished between 4th and 12th in the regular season standings. And yet, he won 234 games, 58% of his 400 decisions. That was the record for victories in the National Series for more than 12 years until Pedro Luis Lazo extended the mark to 257.