.c The Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) - Livan Hernandez smiled, holding the World Series MVP trophy above his head. But it was what the rookie pitcher held in his arms before the game that made him cry.
It was one thing to be embraced by south Florida as a baseball hero. It was quite another to hug the mother he hadn't seen in almost 2 1/2 years.
"This is the happiest moment of my life,'' Hernandez said early Monday after the Marlins' 3-2 11th-inning victory over Cleveland in Game 7. "My mother's here and we were champions.''
Miriam Carreras flew in from Cuba two hours before the game. Her arrival was the culmination of three weeks of negotiations between governments that included a written plea to Cuban officials signed by all the Marlins players.
Carreras was told Saturday that she would be granted a six-month exit visa. Hernandez, a 22-year-old Cuban defector, said he got word Sunday afternoon but did not believe it until he saw his mother in team president Don Smiley's suite at Pro Player Stadium.
"We hugged. We cried,'' Hernandez said in Spanish, keeping private the details of their conversation.
Carreras would not comment as she was escorted into the suite by an entourage of friends and security. She later issued a brief statement though the team.
"I am very happy to be here with my son and to see this last game,'' she said. "I want to give thanks to the Lord for making this possible.''
Hernandez said Monday he did not know how long his mother would stay.
In September 1995, he sneaked on a flight from Mexico to Venezuela to escape Cuban baseball authorities. He describes his first year in the United States as a lonely struggle, gaining 20 pounds and having few friends.
But he came into his own this year, winning his first nine decisions and finding his place in the community. He went on to win Games 1 and 5 of the World Series. He did not pitch Sunday night.
"I love you Miami,'' he shouted in English after the Game 7 victory.
His reunion with his mother took place in a most public setting. Fans in club seats craned their necks to look into the open-air suite and take photographs. Other guests in the suite tried to cast their eyes from mother and son to give them some privacy.
"It's just one of those great moments in sports and in life combined,'' said Jeb Bush, Republican gubernatorial candidate and son of former President Bush.
The reunion had particular resonance for Tony Perez, who defected from Cuba in 1960 and now is the special assistant to the Marlins' general manager. In 1970, Perez tried but failed to bring his parents from Cuba to see him play in his first World Series with Cincinnati.
"They never saw me play,'' Perez said. "That's why it's so special for me to see this happen.''
AP-NY-10-27-97 1645EST