Mis prioridades recalaban en perseguir lagartijas, correr entre las trinitarias del patio de la casa, escaparme de la casa para jugar con mis amigos en el patio de frutales de la se\u00c3\u00b1ora Beatriz. Sin embargo hay im\u00c3\u00a1genes de mis hermanos hojeando la revista Sport Gr\u00c3\u00a1fico y las p\u00c3\u00a1ginas deportivas de El Nacional y El Universal. Un d\u00c3\u00ada de mediados de abril de 1967, mientras yo se\u00c3\u00b1alaba a pap\u00c3\u00a1 el cami\u00c3\u00b3n de helados que sonaba \u00e2\u20ac\u0153La Marchantica\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, Fernando levantaba la voz para hablar con Josu\u00c3\u00a9. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hoy los Yanquis y los Medias Rojas van a jugar por el s\u00c3\u00b3tano que ocuparon el a\u00c3\u00b1o pasado, pero creo que los Yanquis van a ganar hoy. Lanza Whitey Ford contra un zurdito Billy Rohr que s\u00c3\u00b3lo lo conocen en su casa\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Josu\u00c3\u00a9 esper\u00c3\u00b3 que pap\u00c3\u00a1 entrara a la oficina y meti\u00c3\u00b3 la mano en la gaveta del mueble del comedor. Sac\u00c3\u00b3 el radio de onda corta enfundado en su forro de cuero anaranjado. Se\u00c3\u00b1alaron la pared del fondo y salieron hacia el pasillo de arbustos que delineaba la frontera con la casa cont\u00c3\u00adgua. Bajo las hojas de un naranjo deslizaron los ruidos del dial hasta escuchar una voz en ingl\u00c3\u00a9s entrecortada: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Welcome to opening day at Yankee Stadium\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Mis carreras tras las mariposas del jard\u00c3\u00adn varias veces me llevaron hasta el comienzo del pasillo y o\u00c3\u00ada el chisporroteo de la transmisi\u00c3\u00b3n. Fernando hablaba mucho del jonr\u00c3\u00b3n de Reggie Smith para abrir el juego ante Ford. Pero insist\u00c3\u00ada en que los Yanquis vendr\u00c3\u00adan de atr\u00c3\u00a1s porque esa no era ventaja para un equipo que todav\u00c3\u00ada ten\u00c3\u00ada a Tom Tresh, Joe Pepitone y Elston Howard. Josu\u00c3\u00a9 mov\u00c3\u00ada el radio a cada momento buscando mejor recepci\u00c3\u00b3n. Una vez lo monto en una rama del naranjo.<\/p>\n
En otra ocasi\u00c3\u00b3n llegu\u00c3\u00a9 hasta las matas de u\u00c3\u00b1a de danta que delineaban la frontera entre el jard\u00c3\u00adn y el pasillo. Al inclinarme para buscar una pelota de goma, vi a Josu\u00c3\u00a9 subi\u00c3\u00a9ndole el volumen al radio. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mira ya termin\u00c3\u00b3 el cuarto inning de los Yanquis y el tal Billy Rohr sigue ah\u00c3\u00ad, si acaso se le embas\u00c3\u00b3 Pepitone por base por bolas\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Fernando desamarr\u00c3\u00b3 las trenzas de los zapatos y cruz\u00c3\u00b3 las medias de rombos sobre el tronco del naranjo. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ahora es cuando falta juego y todav\u00c3\u00ada van 1-0\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
Los muchachos vinieron a ver porque no volv\u00c3\u00ada con la pelota. A\u00c3\u00ban cuando no entend\u00c3\u00ada nada del juego que sal\u00c3\u00ada por la bocina del radio, mientras corr\u00c3\u00ada con mis amigos tras la pelota de cart\u00c3\u00b3n con la que jug\u00c3\u00a1bamos \u00e2\u20ac\u0153stop\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, siempre dejaba un espacio en mis o\u00c3\u00addos para captar aunque fuera las interferencias de la transmisi\u00c3\u00b3n. La pr\u00c3\u00b3xima vez que regres\u00c3\u00a9 al pasillo fue para buscar unas chapas para hacer un gurruf\u00c3\u00ado, mientras escarbaba entre los arbustos, la voz del narrador impregnaba cada rinc\u00c3\u00b3n del lugar desde el naranjo hasta el fondo. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cuando tenemos 7 innings completos los Medias Rojas siguen venciendo a los Yanquis 1-0 y Billy Rohr sigue lanzando sin hits ni carreras\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Josu\u00c3\u00a9 miraba a Fernando y sonre\u00c3\u00ada con una expresi\u00c3\u00b3n de \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Vas a tener que tragarte tus palabras\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Fernando apretaba con los dedos las espinas m\u00c3\u00a1s afiladas del naranjo. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153En dos innings pueden pasar muchas cosas, m\u00c3\u00a1s si el juego est\u00c3\u00a1 1-0\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
En la apertura del octavo Russ Gibson solt\u00c3\u00b3 imparable al centro. Rohr se sacrific\u00c3\u00b3 con toque al pitcher. Smith sali\u00c3\u00b3 de short a primera. Joe Foy la sac\u00c3\u00b3 de cuadrangular. Josu\u00c3\u00a9 subi\u00c3\u00b3 m\u00c3\u00a1s el volumen del radio. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00c2\u00a1Y ahora! \u00c2\u00bfQu\u00c3\u00a9 vas a decir? Boston gana 3-0 y el tal Rohr todav\u00c3\u00ada est\u00c3\u00a1 tirando un no hit no run\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
En el cierre del octavo Mickey Mantle emergi\u00c3\u00b3 por John Kennedy y entreg\u00c3\u00b3 el primer out con elevado a la derecha. Lou Clinton bate\u00c3\u00b3 por Ford y se embas\u00c3\u00b3 por error de Rohr. Horace Clarke negoci\u00c3\u00b3 boleto. Fernando se frot\u00c3\u00b3 las manos. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hasta aqu\u00c3\u00ad lo trajo el r\u00c3\u00ado. Aqu\u00c3\u00ad los Yanquis explotan a Rohr\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Bill Robinson bate\u00c3\u00b3 para dobleplay de short a segunda a primera.<\/p>\n
Josu\u00c3\u00a9 miraba la cara de Fernando y simulaba rezar. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ayayay y el no hit no run sigue ah\u00c3\u00ad\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. En el cierre del noveno Tresh fall\u00c3\u00b3 con una l\u00c3\u00adnea a la izquierda que tom\u00c3\u00b3 Carl Yastrzemski lanzandose de cabeza. Pepitone sali\u00c3\u00b3 con elevado a las manos de Tony Conigliaro. Howard son\u00c3\u00b3 imparable a la derecha y Fernando respir\u00c3\u00b3 profundo. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ya se acab\u00c3\u00b3\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Charley Smith entreg\u00c3\u00b3 el out 27 con otro elevado a la derecha. Josu\u00c3\u00a9 levant\u00c3\u00b3 el radio. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153El tal Rohr blanque\u00c3\u00b3 a los Yanquis y los dej\u00c3\u00b3 en 1 hit\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
En ese momento pas\u00c3\u00a9 el pabilo por el hueco de la chapa aplastada e hice zumbar el gurruf\u00c3\u00ado.<\/p>\n
English Translation<\/strong><\/p>\n My priorities by those days were to chase lizards, running among the trees of the backyard, escaping from home to play with my friends at the backyard of Mrs. Beatriz. But I also have images of my brothers looking at the pages of the Sport Gr\u00c3\u00a1fico magazine and the sports pages of El Nacional and El Universal. A day around the middle of April in 1967, while I told Dad to buy me an ice cream, Fernando raised his voice to talk to Josu\u00c3\u00a9. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Today the Yanks and the Red Sox are going to play for the last places where they finished last year. But I think the Yanks will win today because Whitey Ford is the pitcher while for the Sox will pitch the lefty Billy Rohr who doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any experience in MLB\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n Josu\u00c3\u00a9 waited until Dad walked into his office to open a drawer of the living room furniture. He took out a short wave radio with an orange leather cover. They pointed at the deepest end of the living room wall and ran to the bushes passage that traced the boundary with the next house. They sat down under an orange tree and sought for the game through the interference noise in the dial. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Welcome to opening day at Yankee Stadium\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. My sprints behind the garden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s butterflies led me to the entrance of the passage a lot of times and I heard the interference noise of the radio. Fernando talked a lot about the Reggie Smith home run to lead the game off before Ford. But he kept saying that the Yankees would come from behind because that wasn`t any edge for a team that still had Tom Tresh, Joe Pepitone and Elston Howard. Josu\u00c3\u00a9 moved the radio constantly looking for a better broadcast reception. He even put the radio for a while on a branch of the orange tree.<\/p>\n Some minutes later I came to the boundary between the garden and the passage. When I bent down to look for a rubber ball among the bushes, I saw Josu\u00c3\u00a9 raising the volume of the radio. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Look, the Yankees just finished batting their fourth inning and Billy Rohr is still there. He has allowed just one runner to step on first base, Pepitone for a walk.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Fernando untied the laces of his shoes and crossed his feet on the orange tree trunk. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still early in the game and the score is just 1-0.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n My friends came to see why I hadn`t got back with the ball. Although I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand anything about what was told by the radio speaker, I always was aware for the interference noise of the broadcast while I ran behind the rubber ball with my friends.<\/p>\n I returned to the passage to look for some marbles I had hidden among the bushes. The narrator\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voice filled the place from the orange tree to the end of the passage. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153After seven complete innings the Red Sox keep beating the Yanks 1-0 and Billy Rohr is still hurling a no-hitter.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Josu\u00c3\u00a9 looked at Fernando and smiled while thought: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to eat humble pie.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Fernando grabbed the orange tree sharpest thorns. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The game is still 1-0 and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s two more innings to play\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n In the top of the eighth inning Russ Gibson batted a base hit to center field. Rohr executed the sacrifice bunt. Smith was out from short to first. Joe Foy hit a home run. Josu\u00c3\u00a9 raised even more the radio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s volume. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And now! What are you going to say? Boston wins 3-0 and Rohr is still hurling a no-hitter.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n In the bottom of the eighth Mickey Mantle pinch hit for John Kennedy and was out on a fly to right field. Lou Clinton pinch hit for Ford and got on base on a Rohr\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s error. Horace Clarke walked. Fernando rubbed his hands. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is it for Rohr. The Yankees are going to finish him here.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bill Robinson hit a grounder for double play, from short to second to first.<\/p>\n Josu\u00c3\u00a9 looked at Fernando\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face and simulated a prayer. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6and the no-hitter is still there\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. In the bottom of the ninth Tom Tresh hit a liner to left field but Carl Yastrzemski made a spectacular out while sliding on the grass. Pepitone was out on a fly to Tony Conigliaro in right field. Elston Howard launched a base hit to right field. Fernando took a deep breath. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The no-hitter is over\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Charley Smith was the last out with another fly to right field. Josu\u00c3\u00a9 raised the radio. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rohr shut out the Yanks in a one-hitter game.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n I finally got the marbles but kept there for a while to see how it finished the discussion between my brothers.<\/p>\n Alfonso\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work has been featured in Venezuela\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daily newspaper, El Nacional and in the magazine Gente en Ambiente, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s collaborated on several articles for newspapers, including the daily paper Tal Cual. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also written three books and biographies for SABR\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s BioProject.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mis prioridades recalaban en perseguir lagartijas, correr entre las trinitarias del patio de la casa, escaparme de la casa para jugar con mis amigos en el patio de frutales de la se\u00c3\u00b1ora Beatriz. Sin embargo hay im\u00c3\u00a1genes de mis hermanos hojeando la revista Sport Gr\u00c3\u00a1fico y las p\u00c3\u00a1ginas deportivas de El Nacional y El Universal. 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