At 19, I was still figuring out how to throw a fastball.

I couldn't throw a knuckleball if my life depended on it.

I remember my rookie hazing. It wasn't fun.

I remember when I started off, my first car was a Kia Spectra. With a spoiler kit and some rims.

I'm Cuban-American, everybody says. I have a Cuban background, Cuban blood.

I'm definitely not a 'Fast and a Furious' guy.

It's an honor to represent a Latin culture.

To be a small town kid from Hialeah, Fla., pitching in Miami and representing Team U.S.A., that says it all. It's a kid's dream. Don't pinch me. I don't want to wake up.