Ugy's motivation

August 19, 200323 yr

Marlins' Urbina motivated by tragedy

By Joe Capozzi, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, August 19, 2003

DENVER -- For Marlins reliever Ugueth Urbina, the fiery desire to be the best came in the middle of the night with a knock at the door.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Urbina opened the door at the Howard Johnson motel in New Britain, Conn., where the Class A Harrisburg Expos were playing.

"Uggie," manager Dave Jauss said, dropping his head as he stood in the doorway. "Uggie, I don't know how to say this.... Your father's been murdered.''

Jauss still remembers Urbina, then 20 years old, curling up and collapsing under the air conditioner before his manager wrapped his arms around him that night nine years ago.

"Walking to that room and having to wake up him up at 5:45 in the morning and having to tell him that was by far and away the toughest thing I've ever had to do, and that's probably about one-100th of how difficult it was for him to receive it,'' said Jauss, now an advance scout for the Boston Red Sox.

Juan Manuel Urbina was a prominent accountant in Caracas, Venezuela, who told his six children to always strive for excellence.

"Somebody tried to steal his car while he was in it, right in front of his house, and he wouldn't budge,'' said Jauss, who had received the news from Oscar Prieto, owner of Ugueth's winter ball team in Caracas. "He would not give in to some punks. And there was only one thing for them to do and it was to shoot him.''

Even before his father's death in 1994, Urbina -- the oldest child -- was a blossoming pitcher who struggled to keep his emotions in check. But when he returned from Caracas a month after the tragedy, Jauss said, Urbina was more focused than ever, winning eight of his next nine decisions.

Urbina, in one of the few times he has spoken publicly about his father's death, said it made him more determined to fulfill his father's wishes.

His only regret is that his father wasn't alive to see him make it to the majors, which Urbina did with the Montreal Expos one week after the first anniversary of the murder.

"That was my father's dream," said Urbina, 29. "He wanted me to be a big-league ballplayer. He always said, 'Work hard. Work hard.' So when he died, I kind of concentrated more on (that). One thing he told me, he wanted me to get here, but he (also) wanted everyone to know my name. He didn't want me to come here and be nobody.''

Talented and emotional

Urbina hardly is a nobody. After switching from starter to reliever, he has forged a reputation in seven seasons with Montreal, Boston and Texas as a hard-thrower who knows no fear.

Watch Urbina on the mound, and he'll often sneer, furl his eyebrows into a frown, pump his fist, slash the air with his hand.

Giants manager Felipe Alou, who managed Urbina in Montreal, remembers being worried about the young pitcher trying to overcome the tragedy while competing at the major-league level.

"I warned some people about not messing with Uggie, because I wonder if he's not over that yet,'' Alou said Sunday. "You're never over something like that. There was a time when you could see somebody was really angry at everything. That's tough, very tough, for a young boy, to go through an experience like that."

Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez, Urbina's teammate with the Expos in 1995, told the Boston Globe last year: "He's a very nice guy, but don't get on the bad side of him. I hope we never get into a fight because he's hard to control. He has that hot blood.''

Asked about his demeanor, Urbina smiled and laughed.

"I kind of express myself on the mound,'' he said. "When I watch myself on TV, I embarrass myself. I think I get too excited on the mound sometimes. Maybe it's a good thing. It's working.''

In 1997, at age 23, he became the youngest closer in the majors with Montreal. He made the All-Star team in 1998 when he posted the lowest ERA (1.30) among NL closers. A year later he led the NL with 41 saves.

In 2000, he had two surgeries to remove bone chips from his right elbow. That same year, he faced assault charges in Montreal after allegedly punching a man in a nightclub. But Urbina was acquitted after evidence surfaced that his younger brother, Uliseas, bears a close resemblance to Ugueth.

He was traded to the Red Sox at the 2001 trading deadline and saved 40 games in 2002. He signed with Texas in the off-season and was leading the American League with 26 saves on July 11 when the Marlins traded three prospects for him, including a former No. 1 pick.

"When they told they were going to trade me here, I didn't believe it," he said. "I heard Yankees, Boston, San Francisco, all those other teams, but the last team I expected to be traded to was the Marlins.''

Urbina giving Marlins a boost

Owner Jeffrey Loria and General Manager Admin Beinfest, who surprised the league because of Florida's small-market status, had their eye on Urbina for a while and wanted to beat other teams before the July 31 trading deadline.

Urbina said being traded to Florida was a pleasant surprise. Two of his closest friends are countrymen Ozzie Guillen, Florida's third-base coach, and shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Urbina has a house in West Palm Beach from his minor-league days in 1995 and 1996, and he lives in Aventura.

With Urbina as setup man to closer Braden Looper, the Marlins are one-half game behind wild-card leader Philadelphia with 38 games left.

Although the Marlins insist Urbina's setup role won't change, his arrival raised the possibility that he could slide into the closer's role if Looper struggles down the stretch.

In 15 games with Florida, Urbina is 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA and opponents are batting.115 against him. Looper is 4-2 with a 2.78 ERA and 24 saves. Opponents are hitting.251 against him.

Smooth transition to reliever

Urbina, who turned pro at 16, always had been a starter until Jauss and Prieto saw his potential as a closer because of his resiliency and ability to throw hard in the late innings. Young starters often resist a move to the bullpen early in their careers, but Urbina trusted Jauss.

"He never resisted anything we ever discussed,'' Jauss said. "We became very close. We went through the murder of his father. He went through some tough personal times. And the people who supported him. he supported them when they came to him'' with ideas.

"He had all kinds of shoulder problems, elbow surgeries, season-ending things, and we felt he'll be better throwing one or two innings," Alou said. "His temperament and aggressiveness to be a stopper were very obvious, and we were right."

Urbina, who isn't married, has two children. The first son was born a year before Urbina's father died and is named after his late grandfather.

Other than some photos of Juan Manuel that he keeps in his wallet, Urbina doesn't pay any special tributes.

Urbina pounded a fist on his chest and said, "I keep his memory in my heart.''

joe_capozzi@pbpost.com

Quote