Gregorio Américo Pérez Valdés attributes to Bobby Salamanca the nickname "Mano Negra", with which he became famous in Cuban baseball between the 1960s and early 1980s of the last century.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- However, he may well have been one of the great hitters of the time who was responsible for the nickname with which everyone remembers the dark-haired man born in 1941 in the town of Guayabal, belonging to the present-day municipality of Amancio.

"Not a few illustrious sluggers of the time suffered the spell of his pitches, always elusive, with the power of its 90 miles per hour. They were indecipherable every time he used one of the most dominant sinkers in the history of national baseball.

Some, like Felix Isasi, have acknowledged that he was the most complicated pitcher they faced in an era of huge figures on the pitcher´s mound. That´s why he ranks the ninth position among the most effective streamers in national series (2.18) and has the third-best frequency of walks with at least 750 pitched innings (1.82), only behind Luis Campillo from Camagüey (1.37) and Orestes González from Pinar del Río (1.81).

Although the abundance of stars made the competition for a place on the mound of Team Cuba incredibly strong, Gregorio was part of some national squads, such as the one that won the title at the Panama Central American Games in 1970. There, his name was on everyone's lips after pitching just nine balls and 77 pitches to complete a hit clash against the Netherlands Antilles.

Although he finished his career with Las Tunas and went on to pitch with teams like Oriente, Mineros and Cafetaleros after the political-administrative division, his beginnings were with the Camagüey farmers. And with that cast, on December 26, 1965, he started the game with which the Cándido González Stadium, in Camagüey, was inaugurated.

That day, in the midst of multiple difficulties, he tells after more than half a century with a certain sparkle in his eyes that he defeated 5x1 the star man Alfredo Street and the Industriales team. It was just the beginning of his role as a nemesis of the capital teams, one of the great prides of his sports career.

Now, heading towards his 80th birthday, Gregorio Pérez reels off the past with a calm rhythm that reminds us of the parsimonious pitcher that he was. The dialogue, peppered with spicy words and difficult to publish terms, is rebuilding the career of an exceptional pitcher, capable of leading the IX National Series, with 12 victories, the I Selective Series, with 1.04 earned per game, and already exceeding with Las Tunas uniform the figure of 100 wins.

We talked at the Gilberto Ferrales stadium, after the rumor of Gregorio's death spread throughout the province, and even on social media. "You see me, I can't be more alive."

And as if to certify it, another extra-class pitcher from Las Tunas, the great Félix Núñez, comes up to greet: “They say that a bad bug never dies. The other day they told me that Gregorio Pérez had died and I told him that it had to be someone else, because the one I know will never die” (laughs).

Cuban baseball health

I will be honest with you, there is a long way to go right now. We are very talented, both on the pitch and on the offensive, but you have to work hard with the young ones because today's players are not like before. At the time, I was playing, the coaches did not work hard, because we all put a lot of interest in what they told us; because there was a lot of respect and especially a lot of concentration, both in training and in the game. I think we are missing that today.

There was more seriousness, and not only in Las Tunas or Santiago, with those Black Wasps, it was a general thing: respect for the game. At least I was never expelled. In addition, the referees were happy when I went to pitch because although they knew that because of my calm in the box it was going to be four hours at least, they were clear that I wasn't going to be protesting pitches or anything like that. Doing so was worse for me because I was losing concentration.

Strike Hierarchs

I used to take a long time between pitch and pitch, but that was a strategy to get hitters desperate. And also I used to mess with them, I told them things ... and when they mortified themselves I thought: "You are already mine."

Sure, there were some who didn't understand strategies. I could never strike Urbano González. It is true that he struck out very little, I think 63 times nothing more (actually 67), but it was for many years facing us and I never could. And I tell you, I liked to strike out the hierarchs: (Antonio) Muñoz, Cheíto (Pedro José Rodríguez), Pedro Chávez ...

The pact with Chávez

With Chávez I have an anecdote. When they opened the Cándido González Stadium, they decided that he was going to be the opener. I was here in "Amancio" and I had to travel with a wound that he had done to my buttock with a broken bottle, and also with a hangover from the hell (laughs). During the whole day I hardly ate anything and before the game, our catcher, Jesús Oviedo, asks me how I felt. And I: "I am made dust". But there, I started to allow some runs, at the moment I started to feel better.

I said to him: "Hey, there is nothing for anyone today."

Anyway, when they were discussing the rules of the field, Chávez comes behind the plate and I tell him: “Hey, fellow, come here. They say baseball players are enemies on the field and friends outside, but you and I are brothers wherever. So we are going to make a pact because look at how this stadium is and I cannot look bad: today, every time you stop there, you have to give me a box kick. Look! That is a commitment to me. “And he said, you know, with a dyslexia problem: "Okay, no problem."

I didn't trust myself anyway, but when he came to bat the first time I told him: "Remember the pact we made." And indeed, he gave me a bump to the box. And in the second I yell, "Remember": another bruise at my hands. But already on the third time, I didn't see him very happy when he came to bat, so I just blurted out to provoke him: "Remember the pact ...". What he answered I cannot tell you here (laughs), I only tell you that what he remembered me was my poor mother.

The rematch with Cheíto

I made another play to Cheíto in Santiago. I was pitching a tremendous sinker and that pitch had never been lifted. Well, I pitch one to Cheíto that almost hit the ground the first time we faced each other and he took it from above the roof of the left field. He flipped the painting around laughing and jumped on top of home plate. And I just looking at him and thinking: "Don't hurry, yours arrives too."

About 15 days later we met again. He was winning 3x2 in the ninth inning, with two outs and a runner in the third base. He was not that day as a regular player and they brought him up. "This is mine, your time has come, you bastard" (laughs). And we started there “in a fight” until I put him in 3 and 2. Then I turned like three times to third, I began to delay on purpose, to take my foot until Pedrito Pérez came out to protest the referee. I saw that he was already getting desperate and I thought: "I already have you where I wanted". So the catcher asks me straight, I already knew that straight was what I was going to pitch at him, but I told him not to eat five times until Cheíto, annoyed, asked for time.

He would be wondering how many pitches I had to say not so many times ... and there I put him with everything I had, the hardest I could pitch. He swung at the sound of the pet and I yelled at him, "Well, Dad, we're at peace."

With Muñoz there is no witchcraft that is worth

In 1970, I was in a national pre-selection in the Latin-American Stadium. But in those days, they gave me my house here and I had to come. Between the paperwork and the move, I didn't have time to train, and the day I returned there, "Natilla" Jiménez told me that I had to pitch. "Damn, and couldn't you let me know beforehand so that I could at least have trained in the airplane hallway?"

Well, I went to sleep after lunch and when I woke up I had a shrunken arm, with a muscular contraction. So it was impossible to pitch and I had to sit in the stands to watch the training, thinking that it was damn that they eliminated me without being able to pitch. But at that moment, I feel the first drops and there was a tremendous downpour. Later in the hostel, everyone said that I was a witch doctor, because that day the sky was blue, without clouds, and nobody knew where the downpour had come from.

It was not possible to play and the next day I said to Nelson Ciervo, who was one of the coaches: "I am going to show you who I am today." And I told "Coco" Gómez that two or three runs were enough for me. I was in team B, but we had (Félix) Isasi, (Rigoberto) Rosique and Wilfredo (Sánchez). The other monsters were in team A.
Before I started, I called Muñoz and said: “Look, you are sitting, comfortable on the plane, and I am on the ladder, almost falling down (laughs). So when you come without men on base I'm going to pitch you up, but when there are runners it's four bad for you. “He protested and when he came to bat the first time I put him in strikeout; the second, four and he had to go to first base. He came back again and four bad. And already on the fourth time, I saw his eyes that looked like he had two flamethrowers (laughs) and I said: "Now I'm going to pitch you, dad, so open your eyes."

I started there to do the show, to delay, to change the ball… well, I put him in 3 and 2, and then I tried to pass him with the straight. Thank goodness that blow passed over me, because if it hits me it would kill me. He was airborne against 400 feet through the center field. Double. And then I went to second base and I said, "You saw, you bastard, why couldn't I pick you up?"

In the end, I won the 3x1 game and, since I was that cool, I went to where the entire staff was and said to them: "Now what?" I was the last pitcher they mentioned when they gave the team, but they couldn't eliminate me.

A time of giants

That time was full of "horses" and making a team in Cuba was very difficult. I admired (Manuel) Alarcón a lot, he was a tremendous person, he helped you, and he explained what you were doing wrong. Huelga was also a people who came up to you and gave you advice. I liked to ask to learn.

And I had strength, something I consider a gift: that when I entered the field it was always me. That was despite the fact that I knew there were many better pitchers, I already told you about some, but I also agreed, for example, with Rogelio García.

And I can tell you without leaving anything inside, that in those days the father of Industriales team was me. I killed those people. Julita Osendi could not even see me, because she is a born industrialist. Once Industriales came to play here (in “Amancio”) when I was already retired, and she was with the team. As soon as he saw me, he shouted: “At last! At last, I rested from you, because you had me crazy every time you killed the blue ones.

Today's coaches

I think that to go back to those times, when there were so many good pitchers, you have to look at the coaches, who sometimes do not teach everything they have to teach the players. In the case of pitching, for example, you see now that the boys are ball, ball, ball and ball ... one after the other. There is a lack of interest and concentration of the pitchers and bad work of the coaches.

I forgive the people who come from schools, but I think that to teach you they need to have experience on the ground, have taken many sticks above the box. Once Félix (Núñez) came here and told me that he was worried because he couldn't give strikes. I said to him: "Let's see, pitch a pitch there", and with only one I saw that he was opening his left foot too fast when launching.

Many people ask me why "Amancio" is not giving players and I tell everyone that we need to work more. Right now I have three boys there who are taller than me, what happens is that I have no resources, I have no balls to tell him how the grips are, for example. But that can be done in the entire municipality ... maybe 40 don't come out, but with 15 you can start.

Leñadores (Lumberjacks)

There is a misconception that the team has to always win. Look at Granma, who was champion two years in a row and then could not argue again ... I think the team is fine, especially because I see that there is shame among the players when it comes to playing and that they are one with the coaches and the team manager. That is very important, in addition to the respect that can be seen among all.

Gregorio with the current team

I played three years with Las Tunas and the first game that was won in national series was won by me, against Guantánamo. At that time we had a pretty good team, but the other day I was taking accounts and wondering: "Who would have put Felix and me on this team." I think we would have won 20 games each.

Without fear

Everyone knows that I started with Farmers, because at that time "Amancio" belonged to the province of Camagüey.

And the beginnings were very hard. All my life they put me to the test, to hell tests, what happens is that my heart was made of iron, I was never afraid. In my first year in Camagüey, we were training 14 pitchers in Morón with Agustín Mayor, who was my first director. There was a white from Florida, who was called Escolta, and the thing was between him and me. We had to face and whoever lost the game was eliminated. The guy comes and says to me: "Black, I'm not staying." "Neither do I, so I don't know what you are going to do," I said. Since then I had a lot of confidence in myself, in addition to knowing that they liked the way I pitched, low all the time, with a straight line of 90 miles and more, and always lateral or three quarters. And of course, it wasn't me who lost.

Do you see this bony hand? May God bless her (he kisses her), I did wonders with this hand, with these fingers. I learned the fork and almost never threw it, but my weapon was the sinker, a sinker that I learned to throw alone. One day I noticed that the ball fell down on top of the batter and I was perfecting it. I pitched it at (Freddy) Portilla (Las Tunas team receiver) and he said: "What the hell was that you pitch?"

There were people who asked me why so much sinker, that I changed the pitch. And I was telling them how was I going to change it, if nobody gave it. And when they did it was a broken match to insurance. I was famous for wiping out the battery from opposing teams.

Black Hand, Iron Hand

The "Black Hand" was given to me by Bobby Salamanca. Of course, I am full black, but I know he didn't say it because he was talking about my color. I imagine it was because with that hand I killed the hitters, I destroyed them. What I can assure you is that Salamanca was the best and that he loved me very much.

I have always had a very large fan base, especially in Camagüey and Havana. I faced six times with "Changa" Mederos, who was a small guy, who didn't seem like the beast he was. And if you didn't get him out of the box before the third inning, you could forget about that game. He was really brave and people enjoyed when we faced each other. They said: "Today we are going to see a real game."

For things like that I live proud of my sports career, I am excited for everything I did.