Word: valenzuelas
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After arriving in the U.S., Agustin (now just "Gus") Valenzuela, 40, held a variety of farm and factory jobs. "Nobody ever asked me for a 'green card' or resident's permit," he says, "just a Social Security number." Like most illegals, Valenzuela simply made up a number. (He was later able to get a legitimate number after applying for legal residency.) He was caught once by the INS while packing coleslaw in central Los Angeles and was bused across the border, but he sneaked back through the fence in time for work the next morning...
...Valenzuela feels more secure now that he is working for himself, in a shop that he built from scrap lumber. He got a permit to sell used tires from a local policeman who knows the Valenzuelas are illegal. The officer assured the family that they can report crimes without fear of exposure. Los Angeles Police Commander William Booth explains, "If someone is a victim of crime, we need to know about it, and it's not our policy to inquire about their status...
...back, Brock's promise as a slugging first baseman influenced the Dodgers' enthusiasm for retaining Free Agent Steve Garvey. Though he has been worse than disappointing as Garvey's replacement, in New York not two weeks ago Brock hit a home run off a Gooden change-up that brought Valenzuela his only victory in their three head-on encounters to date. After that game, Johnson lectured Gooden about offering his third best pitch to those who have failed to hit the first two. With Brock up, and only a fly ball needed to score a run, just a look from...
...mutters in review. "Ninety-mile-per-hour fast balls the whole game long, and his best stuff is waiting at the end. I'm telling you, this kid is amazing." A mustachioed Cuban in a white straw hat, Brito is the Dodger scout who discovered 17-year-old Valenzuela seven springs ago in Mexico. He went there to observe a skinny infielder, but could not help noticing an ample lefthanded breaking-ball pitcher with more than a teenager's command. "Both these guys / seem to have been born with poise and control," he says. In addition, Gooden...
Seeing at least the third and fourth pitches, because he fouls those off, Whitfield finally strikes out on the fifth. After nine pitches, without ever leaving the strike zone, the Mets' emergency ends and the Dodgers' begins. In the top of the ninth, Valenzuela also loads the bases with no outs. But they are emptied by singles that include Gooden's third of the game. The final score is 4-1. "That's the first time in my career that I ever saw a pitcher fire up the offense," muses Hernandez afterward. He refers to Gooden's pitching...