'El Nino' Storms Giants
Youthful Marlin Makes Big Splash
By Pedro Gomez
The Arizona Republic
October 1, 1997
His nickname is "El Nino," and it was planted on Edgar Renteria almost from the start because of his baby-faced looks, not any Pacific Ocean weather patterns.
Flanked in a clubhouse where free agents abound and the average salary is nearly $1.8 million, an extremely young-looking Renteria sat at his locker with a broad smile on his face early Tuesday night.
Moments earlier he had slapped an opposite-field single to right field with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth to give Florida a 2-1 victory over San Francisco in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
"That's what the playoffs are all about," Florida third baseman Bobby Bonilla said. "It seems this is how the games always are."
Normally reserved Gary Sheffield, who was on deck when Renteria won the game, was so overcome with emotion that he raced out to first base and hoisted Renteria on his shoulders.
"There's no feeling better than that, baby," Sheffield said. "I was trying to visualize what he had done in the past."
It was the fifth game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth this season for Renteria. This one came off a 98 mph fastball from Giants reliever Roberto Hernandez, whom he had never faced.
"I tried to make too good of pitches early in the count," said Hernandez, who fell behind 2-0 to Renteria before the 2-1 fastball. "He did a great job of hitting. If he tried to pull that ball, it's either a roller or an easy pop-up."
There's so much more to Renteria's story than just Tuesday's story line or his slick fielding at shortstop. He grew up impoverished in the Colombian coastal city of Barranquilla, basically the only place in the soccer-minded nation where baseball is played.
His older brother, Edinson, was also in the Marlins' farm system. It was because of Edinson that Florida discovered and signed Edgar, but not without some alleged finagling along the way.
In an era when many Latin-born players have been accused of slicing years off their true age to appear more attractive to major league scouts, Edgar Renteria is believed to have gone the other way.
He is listed in Florida's media guide as being born Aug. 7, 1975, making him 22. He signed with Florida on Feb. 14, 1992, when he supposedly was 16. According to Edinson, his younger brother hadn't even turned 15 when the Marlins signed him.
Edinson was quoted in south Florida newspapers as admitting he falsified his brother's birth certificate. Major league rules stipulate a player cannot be signed before his 16th birthday.
"I was born in 1997, I mean 1975," Edgar said after Tuesday's game. "It doesn't really matter to me what people say about my age. I know how old I am."
Several of his teammates confirmed knowledge of the shortstop's real age but for obvious reasons refused to go on the record.
The Marlins' official stance?
"We've heard all this stuff," assistant general manager Frank Wren said. "All we know is we have a birth certificate that shows his age being what it's listed as."
No matter his age, Edgar Renteria is a player who will probably be around for the next 15 years.
"He's going to be a superstar," Marlins pitcher Alex Fernandez said. "You can bet on that."
Another superstar in the making in Florida is multitalented catcher Charles Johnson, who provided the other key hit for the Marlins Tuesday, a solo home run to lead off the seventh that matched Bill Mueller's home run in the top of the inning.
Renteria and Johnson were the only two Marlins starters in Game 1 who came up through Florida's minor league system, making it an even more gratifying victory for Florida.
"We brought a lot of guys in this year," said Johnson. "They were good moves, too. But it feels great that guys who came though the system also contributed."
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