The history of Liván Moinelo Pita told by his parents

Taking advantage of the break for the end of 2015, I made an interview to Liván Moinelo at his home, it is located at kilometer six of San Juan y Martinez road. The agreed time: 12 noon.

Right in the doorway of his house I met a man cooling off from the midday sun and to my "good morning" out of time, I hear as a response to my greeting a "good afternoon, friend." I could not help but smile and look at my watch.

After my presentation and communicating my intention to interview the ballplayer, from inside the house came a tall, strong brown woman, so joined the conversation Adela Pita Oliva (known as Leonor), the mother.

Luis Mariano Moinelo Saavedra, the father, explains to me that had left for Pinar to bring some food and drink assigned to team members for the end of the year and it should not take long. Both, with the self-friendliness of the humble country people, invited me into the house, but the pure air of the porch seduced me and I made company to Luis.

No one better than his parents to meet my goal. Luis Mariano, is a guard tower in Radio progress -Radio Rebelde and Leanor, a woman who has done all farm work from stringing tobacco to hoeing, pulling postures or whatever necessary, for her there is no hard work. She shows obvious pride for her son and wants to talk about him, so dad just listens.

She tells me that although Livan has two older brothers, he is the only child of this marriage. He likes creole fishing with rod and cork in streams and rivers and when he comes home he delights himself playing ball with his brothers and neighbors, even if he finished throwing a ball game, and told me that the day before the visit, when he saved the game against Ciego de Avila, in the afternoon he played with the neighborhood informal team.

- How did Liván develop his love for baseball?

Leonor: "Well, I will answer that question. When he was very little my father, who was still alive, threw acid little balls made from orange or lemon and said. "Come boy, my grandson I will make a baseball player from you and you are going to be lefty like me." When they threw him balls he fell, and we helped him stand up again and he continued batting."

Leonor talks with devotion of her son. She says this happened just when he was one year old. So between anecdotes and overflowed with love for her son, came the moment of the first steps when a coach of the sports discovers him as a ballplayer and ensures that her child would be a star as a player.
Ciprian Padron, former pitcher from Pinar del Rio in national series, began working with Liván from the age of six. He trained him and that is how his first appearance outside the municipality of residence was in the town of San Cristóbal. For the occasion it was necessary to make a little uniform and find a couple of shoes, with her own resources she managed to solve this because she did not want her son to be less than the others.

According to Leonor, when he was seven years of age he was scouted for EIDE (a specialized school for sports) but his entrance to the center was postponed until the end of sixth grade. Although from this moment on he entered as athlete in a specialized sports center, Moinelo never represented the province of Pinar del Rio in school games at national level, although he did it in youth games. It is at the age of 17, in the National Series 53, when he first dressed the costume in the big team of the province.

To know other details related with the sports career of Liván I befriended his father who remained silent listening to his wife.

- Did Moinelo play any other position? How were his possibilities as a pitcher discovered?

Luis:. "The matter is that the many people do not know the last news about Liván, he is ambidextrous. He pitches and bats at the two hands I tell people to make him the test, that is known by his teachers who are there What.... happens is that het was more effective to his left and when he began there they let him as left-handed pitcher. But in the youth games, in a game in Capitan San Luis stadium against Artemisa, he threw left-handed and when he finished the inning he was sent to first base and then by necessity of the team he went to right field. He threw left hand and batted right. He has very good tact as a hitter.

"In another match against Habana in the the youthful games-he was pitching left-handed and tried to change his arm to throw right but they did not let him. They said "you have to keep left-handed. "

Leonor is a woman who at this point in the interview showed not only to be very communicative but has a strong character. However the empathy we set allowed me to ask her one last question.

- There is a story in the town of Pinar del Río that when Moinelo prepared to go to the Caribbean Series, you went to Havana and presented him to the team manager of your child with instructions that he returned. How much truth is there in this?

Leonor: "That's true, but it was not in Havana, it was in Capitan San Luis stadium. As I was already nervous because his teammates had left or had deserted I said to myself "oh my mother!, anytime I may lose my child too, but no, I'll go and I'll alert them. If when Elian's case his father fought and fought and went to bring him back, then I will fight too. And I went to the stadium and talked to the pitching coach, Raciel Sánchez, who was going to take him there and I said, "Look you're taking Moinelo there, if you take him you bring him back to me. You tie him to the belt and if he stays, you stay, do not come back because when you get here, I do not know what I'll do with you."

When all the questions about Moinelo had exhausted, he arrives accompanied by his girlfriend. So the questions were directed only to relevant aspects of his professional performance.

- Do you have any idea why the Japanese are interested in you?

Moinelo- "Well, they saw me pitching there, apart from that I threw to Koreans who are most similar to their league. I threw two innings and got a hit, I struck out three."

- When you are called to relieve Torres in the second inning, did you have any idea that you were going to throw as many balls?

M: "Honestly no, I was not prepared for that because as they always bring me to the end of the game I was surprised. Well, I always have told myself that they put me and it is as far reaching as possible."

- But you had never done that?

M: "Well I only had a previous experience in a game against Artemisa but I pitched only 95 balls."

- And in the Premier 12 How many were they?

M: "120 against Canada"

- Didn´t your arm ache the next day?

M: "No, as two days later I had discomfort, as we say, parrots, but that's normal."

In his relief in the aforementioned game against Canada in the Premier 12.

- How do you manage with Victor Mesa, who they say is very rare as a manager?

M: "Rare yes, but a very good coach and very demanding, a good friend and a man.He´s got his own character, but as every director he must demand but for the sake of one."

- What is the maximum speed they have measured you?

M: "92 miles per hour."

- At any point they have made any proposal to defect and go to pitch in the big leagues?

M: "Yes of course, several times, in Canada."

- How is that?

M:. "They approached me and tell me "you are worth millions go to my academy, I'll train you." Others say that here I have no future and invite me there but I love my people, I will this here very much."

- Goals for Moinelo as a pitcher?

M: "Overcome the social impact of the actions of Pedro Luis Lazo to Pinar del Rio."

- Personal goals to accomplish?

M: "Strive to provide a better home to my parents who both have sacrificed for my comprehensive training."

Liván in the doorway of his home with his parents

Moinelo is 20, he is only three representing Pinar del Rio and files on his resume three international events: The Caribbean Series in Puerto Rico, the Premier 12 in Asia and the Pan American Games in Toronto, all in 2015.

 Lifetime labor of Livan Moinelo Pita in national series updated to December 31, 2015. (Contributed by Jorge Garcia Esparís and Alayn Arteaga Figueroa)

There is no doubt that we are in the presence of an almost virgin pitcher in his walk in Cuban baseball. Moinelo is simple and modest in his performance and dressing. he has a strong family influence, of farm origin, humble and he has no other pretentions than to fulfill the request of his mother. According to her, she has three sons and "when I get old and am in hospital, "my eldest son will accompany me there, the middle will stay at home to prepare and send food and Livan will be responsible for taking it to the hospital and the addition of looking for money to support me financially because I have sacrificed enough for them."

Livan showing part of the medals won

With his girlfriend at the return from the city of Pinar del Río

Translated by Jose Morejon