May 19, 2009
Photo Gallery
Flushing, N.Y. - To the naked eye, one would assume Fordham baseball's Nick Martinez has nothing in common with New York Mets hurler Livan Hernandez. One is a rookie second baseman who is starting to make waves in his college career while the other has 14 years of Major League experience with seven different organizations. But on Wednesday, May 13, the two ballplayers met prior to the Mets' afternoon dip with the Atlanta Braves and found out they have much more in common than anyone would ever imagine.
To start, Martinez's family roots are much like Herndandez's. The freshman grew up in Miami, Fla., but has very deep ties with his Cuban heritage. His mother was born in the province of Pinar Del Rio, approximately 200 miles west of Hernandez's home town of Villa Clara while Martinez's grandparents, Raul and Tanya Martinez, came to America from Havana in 1961 and, shortly thereafter, gave birth to Martinez's father.
On the field, both Martinez and Hernandez are also celebrating 150th milestones. Hernandez tossed his 150th career victory on May 10, in an 8-4 win against the Pirates. And though Martinez has only seen 6.2 innings on the mound this year, he is finding great success at both second base and at the plate on a team that is celebrating their 150th anniversary.
It was fitting that these two meet as the first professional baseball player to call Cuba his homeland is a Fordham University product. Esteban (Steve) Bellán, a Fordham graduate in 1868, began his professional career with the Unions of Morrisania and would go on to play for the Troy Haymakers, a team that would later become the New York Giants and eventually the present-day San Francisco Giants, from 1869-72.
After enjoying a five-year professional career, the Havana-born third baseman brought his beloved game back to his homeland and paved the way for Cuban stars like Hernandez, his brother Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, as well as Sandy Amoros, Jose Cardenal, Mike Cuellar, Tito Fuentes, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, Rafael Palmeiro, Luis Tiant, Camilo Pascual, Zoilo Versalles, Tony Taylor, Jose Tartabull, Michael Tejera and Jose Canseco to make their mark as Major Leaguers. Hopefully, one day, this dream will be realized by Martinez as well.
"I always look to elevate my game to the next level and hopefully, someday, that means playing in the Major Leagues," remarked Martinez. "Seeing guys like Livan Hernandez out there doing exactly what I dream of doing gives me hope that one day I'll make it too."
Martinez was not the only one impressed with Hernandez's accomplishments as Fordham head coach Nick Restaino enjoyed the interaction between the veteran and the rookie.
"It was great to see how welcoming he was when we came down to the field," notes Restaino on meeting Hernandez. "I'd like to thank both Livan and the Mets' organization for giving us this chance to take part in something like this."
There is one final similarity worth noting that not only these two ballplayers share, but is common with anyone who puts on a baseball uniform anywhere around the world - the desire to win a championship. Hernandez will continue to help the Mets' quest to their first World Series title since 1986 while Martinez will keep his post at second base as the Rams' take on the University of Massachusetts in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championships on Wednesday, May 20, at 12:00 PM.
For more information on the Atlantic 10 Championships, visit the A10 Championships website.
