Arrojo to go west

Cuban defector is Devil Rays' first All-Star

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Wednesday July 01, 1998 09:47 PM

Arrojo is 10-4 in 17 games with a 3.02 ERA (Zoran Milich/Allsport)

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) -- Weeks of speculation prepared Rolando Arrojo for Wednesday.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays' right-hander became the team's first All-Star when American League manager Mike Hargrove announced the selection of pitchers and reserves who will face the National League in Denver on July 7.

"I'm very happy. People talked about this for two months, but I never thought about making the All-Star team," the Cuban star said through a team interpreter. "Every game I pitched was for the team, and every victory was for the Devil Rays.

"The only goal I had this season was to put on a major league uniform and work hard. ... It's only the beginning. It's a long road to go. I've got to keep working."

Arrojo is the first rookie pitcher on an expansion team to make an All-Star squad, and his 10 wins are the most at the break for a first-year pitcher since 1992.

Arrojo (10-4, 3.02 ERA) will go after his 11th victory Thursday against the Atlanta Braves, who will start 11-game winner Greg Maddux, a member of the NL All-Star team.

Arrojo is the fourth Cuban rookie to be named to an All-Star team, joining outfielders Jose Canseco (1986), Minnie Minoso (1951) and Tony Oliva (1964). The 29-year-old also is the first Cuban pitcher to be an All-Star since Boston's Luis Tiant in 1976.

"I want to thank my teammates," Arrojo said. "Without them, there would be no All-Star Game."

Arrojo defected in July 1996 while touring with the Cuban national team in Athens, Georgia. His wife, Mayda, and two children fled Cuba a few weeks later, but the family remained apart for nine months while the right-hander established residency in Costa Rica and awaited free-agent status.

The Devil Rays were among 19 major league teams that pursued Arrojo. The Rays landed him with a $7 million signing bonus in April 1997. Despite being one of Cuba's most successful pitchers, compiling a 10-year record of 160-80, he earned only 227 pesos, plus a 50 peso bonus (about $11 per month) as a player.

For making the All-Star team, the right-hander earned a $50,000 bonus.

Last month, his mother and brother were among five relatives who fled Cuba and joined the pitcher in Florida. Throughout everything happening around him off the diamond, Arrojo remained focused on the job.

"He's been through a lot emotionally the first half of the season, yet has handled everything with a lot of class," Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild said.

"A number of times he's stopped losing streaks," Rothschild added. "He pitched back-to-back shutouts. Every time he takes the mound there's a good feeling with the team knowing that he's going to have a good game and a good effort."

Thursday's Arrojo-Maddux matchup wasn't supposed to happen. The Devil Rays had planned to start Arrojo in Toronto on Friday night, but learned the pitcher's passport has expired since Tampa Bay last traveled to Canada in May.

Related information
Stories
1998 All-Star Rosters
Stats
Devil Rays 1998 Pitching Stats 1998 ERA Leaders 1998 Shutout Leaders
Multimedia
Click here for the latest audio and video
Message Boards
Pitch in your opinion! Disucss the AL's All-Star pitching selections on the CNN/SI Baseball Message Board! Click here for more
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI on cable 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI.