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COPYRIGHT 2004 Sporting News Publishing Co.
Even eight months later, several scouts recall the day with disgust. The El Duque who threw 35 uninspired pitches in a staged workout at the University of Miami did not look ready to return to the majors. It would have been farcical to suggest that he would be the Yankees' No. 1 starter by late summer.
"A charade," recalls one scout who was in attendance. "A waste of time," says a second. "A total joke" adds a third. Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, allegedly 34, didn't even warm up on that January day. He went through a drill in which he executed his throwing motion with a balled-up towel, then took the mound. Coming off shoulder surgery that sidelined him for all of last season, he topped out at 78 mph, mixing in big, loopy curveballs. After he was through, one scout cracked, "OK, is he done getting loose?"
The session appeared to be nothing more than a Duque-and-pony show, designed for the benefit of others. Donovan Osborne and Randy Keisler, two lesser pitchers represented by Hernandez's then-agent, Jeff Moorad, preceded El Duque. A number of other bit players, presumably friends of Hernandez, also participated. One scout speculates that Hernandez threw poorly to scare off other prospective suitors because he had a deal in place with the Yankees.
Not so, according to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. Truth be told, the Yankees weren't enamored with Hernandez, either. The idea of him joining the team in mid-July and going 8-0 wasn't as improbable as, say, his celebrated defection from Cuba in 1998. But as comebacks go, this one...
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