Turnin 2 SS 2b
07-25-2002, 12:31 AM
MIAMI -- Marlins pitcher Michael Tejera, a Cuban defector, is already living a dream. He was hoping to share it Wednesday with his grandfather, whom he hadn't seen in eight years.
But the Braves, showing no sense of drama, spoiled the afternoon by pummeling Tejera and the Marlins 10-0 at Pro Player Stadium.
"My grandfather just came from Cuba," said Tejera, who defected in 1994. "I have a lot of family now here. I thought I could give him the win today, but that happens. You're not going to win every day. That's part of baseball. I'm pretty sure he enjoyed the game. We hadn't seen each other in eight years."
Israel Moll, 69, recently left Cuba and was one of the 10,375 fans present at the Wednesday matinee.
Moll, Tejera's grandfather on his mother's side, was one of the last relatives to see the left-hander the day he sought freedom in the United States in 1994. He was at the airport in Cuba when Tejera departed his native country.
While playing for the Cuban Junior National team, Tejera defected to the U.S. while his team was passing through Miami International Airport en route to train in Connecticut for the World Championships in Canada.
"We were close," Tejera said. "He's my grandfather. It's exciting for me to see him. I was emotional. I wanted to win. But I have no excuse."
The family gathered Tuesday night for dinner at his mother's house. It was the first time Moll had seen his grandson and other relatives who have settled in Miami.
The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder wishes he would have put on a better show Wednesday.
The Braves jumped all over him early, scoring six runs in the first inning, essentially putting the game out of reach.
"It was a bad day, a really bad day for me and for the team," said Tejera, who yielded nine runs on 11 hits in six innings. "I give up a lot of runs. I give up a lot of hits. It's something we've got to learn from. It already passed. I just got to concentrate for the next one."
What Tejera (6-3) did give the Marlins was innings pitched, enabling the bullpen to rest.
After Henry Blanco's three-run homer in the first made it 6-0, Marlins manager Jeff Torborg paid a visit to the mound.
Aware of the emotions swirling inside of the left-hander, Torborg asked Tejera to settle down and go as long as he could to save wear-and-tear on the relief corps.
"We have come back twice from six runs down," said Torborg, who acknowledged it would be difficult against the Braves. "I asked Michael if he could give us five or six innings. He's a tough kid. He has a lot of heart."
Unable to establish his fastball or curve, Tejera found himself down 1-0 just two batters into the game. He walked Rafael Furcal to open the inning and then served up an RBI double to Mark DeRosa. Gary Sheffield then singled, putting runners at the corners.
Tejera almost worked out of the jam by striking out Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones. But on a full count, he walked Vinny Castilla to load the bases.
"I thought we were going to get out of that allowing just one run," Torborg said.
Wes Helms, who entered Wednesday 1-for-37 against left-handed pitching, stroked a two-run single. When Blanco homered, the outcome was pretty much academic.
"I give up six runs in the first inning; that's hard to come back from," Tejera said. "I just wanted to give the bullpen a rest, because they've been working hard."
Deflated early, the Marlins offense put up little fight against Atlanta's Damian Moss, who allowed just one hit in seven innings.
Moss was working on a no-hitter until Derrek Lee opened the fifth with a line-drive single to left. But Juan Encarnacion tapped into a double play, and the Marlins never had two runners on in an inning.
"I snuck a hit in there," Lee said. "I was able to find a hole. ... But being six runs down, that's a big mountain to climb."
Moss and Albie Lopez combined to give Florida its first-ever one-hit game.
The Braves defeated the Marlins 10-0 for the second time in a week. They won by the same score on July 17 at Turner Field.
Florida completed the homestand 4-2 and now heads to Montreal for a four-game set starting Thursday.
"We have to put this behind us," Lee said.
But the Braves, showing no sense of drama, spoiled the afternoon by pummeling Tejera and the Marlins 10-0 at Pro Player Stadium.
"My grandfather just came from Cuba," said Tejera, who defected in 1994. "I have a lot of family now here. I thought I could give him the win today, but that happens. You're not going to win every day. That's part of baseball. I'm pretty sure he enjoyed the game. We hadn't seen each other in eight years."
Israel Moll, 69, recently left Cuba and was one of the 10,375 fans present at the Wednesday matinee.
Moll, Tejera's grandfather on his mother's side, was one of the last relatives to see the left-hander the day he sought freedom in the United States in 1994. He was at the airport in Cuba when Tejera departed his native country.
While playing for the Cuban Junior National team, Tejera defected to the U.S. while his team was passing through Miami International Airport en route to train in Connecticut for the World Championships in Canada.
"We were close," Tejera said. "He's my grandfather. It's exciting for me to see him. I was emotional. I wanted to win. But I have no excuse."
The family gathered Tuesday night for dinner at his mother's house. It was the first time Moll had seen his grandson and other relatives who have settled in Miami.
The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder wishes he would have put on a better show Wednesday.
The Braves jumped all over him early, scoring six runs in the first inning, essentially putting the game out of reach.
"It was a bad day, a really bad day for me and for the team," said Tejera, who yielded nine runs on 11 hits in six innings. "I give up a lot of runs. I give up a lot of hits. It's something we've got to learn from. It already passed. I just got to concentrate for the next one."
What Tejera (6-3) did give the Marlins was innings pitched, enabling the bullpen to rest.
After Henry Blanco's three-run homer in the first made it 6-0, Marlins manager Jeff Torborg paid a visit to the mound.
Aware of the emotions swirling inside of the left-hander, Torborg asked Tejera to settle down and go as long as he could to save wear-and-tear on the relief corps.
"We have come back twice from six runs down," said Torborg, who acknowledged it would be difficult against the Braves. "I asked Michael if he could give us five or six innings. He's a tough kid. He has a lot of heart."
Unable to establish his fastball or curve, Tejera found himself down 1-0 just two batters into the game. He walked Rafael Furcal to open the inning and then served up an RBI double to Mark DeRosa. Gary Sheffield then singled, putting runners at the corners.
Tejera almost worked out of the jam by striking out Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones. But on a full count, he walked Vinny Castilla to load the bases.
"I thought we were going to get out of that allowing just one run," Torborg said.
Wes Helms, who entered Wednesday 1-for-37 against left-handed pitching, stroked a two-run single. When Blanco homered, the outcome was pretty much academic.
"I give up six runs in the first inning; that's hard to come back from," Tejera said. "I just wanted to give the bullpen a rest, because they've been working hard."
Deflated early, the Marlins offense put up little fight against Atlanta's Damian Moss, who allowed just one hit in seven innings.
Moss was working on a no-hitter until Derrek Lee opened the fifth with a line-drive single to left. But Juan Encarnacion tapped into a double play, and the Marlins never had two runners on in an inning.
"I snuck a hit in there," Lee said. "I was able to find a hole. ... But being six runs down, that's a big mountain to climb."
Moss and Albie Lopez combined to give Florida its first-ever one-hit game.
The Braves defeated the Marlins 10-0 for the second time in a week. They won by the same score on July 17 at Turner Field.
Florida completed the homestand 4-2 and now heads to Montreal for a four-game set starting Thursday.
"We have to put this behind us," Lee said.