Cuban-born baseball players have etched their names in baseball’s postseason record book. From shattering old records to establishing new ones, some of these players found more success in the postseason than they did in the regular season. Only five Cubans have gone on to win an LCS MVP, but two have won a World Series MVP. In honor of tonight’s Fall Classic edition, here is a look at how these players impacted their teams when it mattered most.
Cuban-Born Baseball Players and Their Postseason Impact
1997: Livan Hernandez NLCS & WS
Pitching in the majors two years after defecting from Cuba, Hernandez had an exhilarating ride in 1997. He both started and relieved in the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves. Hernandez helped the Marlins advance in six games as he was named MVP after a 15-strikeout, three-hit, complete performance in Game 5. However, some argue to this day about the pitcher receiving help from home plate umpire Eric Gregg, who had a large strike zone that game. Hernandez got the start in Games 1 ( 5 2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 7 ER, 2 SO) and 5 (8 IP,9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 SO), but responded poorly with two brutal outings despite winning World Series MVP.
1999: Orlando Hernandez ALCS
Unlike his half-brother mentioned above, the other Hernandez put up a strong performance in 1999.” El Duque” kept the Boston Red Sox in check throughout the five-game Series. In two starts, he had a 1.29 ERA with 14 strikeouts on one hit and one earned run in seven innings. The New York Yankees won the first two games of the best-of-seven Series by one run each.
2020: Randy Arozarena 2020 ALCS
Arozarena continued his historic postseason run. He torched the Houston Astros pitching in seven games with four homers, a .321 average, and a 1.152 OPS. Arozarena is the first rookie position player to win an LCS or World Series MVP Award. The only previous three players to win one were all pitchers- Mike Boddicker, Michael Wacha, and Hernandez. He also became the first rookie with a go-ahead homer in any Game 7 since Miguel Cabrera did so for the Miami Marlins in the 2003 NLCS.
2021: Yordan Alvarez ALCS, Jorge Soler WS
Alvarez returned from injury in 2021 following surgery. He hit .277/.346/.531 with 33 home runs, 35 doubles, and 104 RBI over 144 games. In the ALCS, he hit .522 with a homer, five extra-base hits, seven runs scored, six RBI, and a 1.408 OPS in the Series. In the series-clinching Game 6, went 4-for4 with a triple and two runs scored. He has the fifth-highest batting average in a single playoff series among hitters with at least 25 plate appearances. The 2019 AL Rookie of the Year joins Jose Altuve, Justin Verlander, Roy Oswalt, and Mike Scott as Astros to win LCS MVP.
Soler was hitting .192 for a Kansas City Royals team who had no postseason aspirations. After being traded to Atlanta, he was named World Series MVP.
On July 29, Jorge Soler was hitting .192 for a fourth-place Royals team that was going nowhere fast. Three months later, he’s the World Series MVP. He took home the prize by hitting .300 with three home runs and six RBI over six games. He led the Braves in homers, RBI and extra-base hits. His heroics stand as a pivotal piece for a front office who retooled its outfield at the trade deadline. That ended up with Atlanta winning its first title in 26 years.
2023: Adolis Garcia ALCS
The Texas Rangers cleanup hitter made history in the 2023 ALCS. Garcia was 10-for-28 with five home runs, 15 RBI and seven runs scored. That also came with a home run in each of the final four games of the Series and two in Game 7. Garcia’s 15 runs driven in became a new postseason record for a single series. His 20 RBI so far are tied for second most in a single postseason, one shy of David Freese‘s 21 in 2011. Garcia shares the 20 mark with teammate Corey Seager, who did with the Los Angeles Dodgers in their 2022 World Series run.
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