At 19, I was still figuring out how to throw a fastball.

I remember when I started off, my first car was a Kia Spectra. With a spoiler kit and some rims.

My curveball is a blessing. My father taught it to me. He felt that it was a pitch he wanted me to learn, right on the side of the house, and it just ended up working. I never asked what the tricks were, or anything like that.

I'm Cuban-American, everybody says. I have a Cuban background, Cuban blood.

It's an honor to represent a Latin culture.

I remember my rookie hazing. It wasnt fun.

I couldn't throw a knuckleball if my life depended on it.