Barbara Barker, for Newsday, takes a nice long look and the Brooklyn-born Brandeis product, and thanks to SNY, he's now pitching for his hometown team.
From Barker:
Figueroa embarked on a whirlwind mission to get baseball to notice him, pitching for anyone anywhere he thought some major-league scout might watch him. In 10 months, he went from the Mexican League to the Taiwanese League, back to Mexico again, on to Aguillas in the Dominican Winter League and on to the Mexican team in the Caribbean World Series.So far, so good. In two starts for the Mets, Figueroa is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA. In 13 innings he has only allowed five hits and four walks while striking out 13.
Mets scout Ramon Peña was watching SNY's winter league coverage when Figueroa caught his attention. He flew down to see him and then told Mets general manager Omar Minaya that Figueroa might be able to help somewhere in the organization.
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"He was determined to prove everybody wrong, and he knew he could do it," Alisa [Figueroa] said. "When I see how much he believed in himself, it's a great lesson for myself and my daughter and really anyone else. I'm just so happy for him."
Pedro Martinez, take your time.
I love this guy and his story. It sounds like a Disney movie in the making. His family, camping out in Billy Wagner's box, brings an emotion to the stadium. I've never seen such a happy and excitable family. I remember last year, when Tom Glavine was searching for career win number 300, his wife was in the stands. To me, at least on TV, she came off as very high and mighty and just seemed like she was better than everyone. Not the Figueroa's.
This is an excitable, happy bunch who have watched Nelson go through team after team before getting to this point. They're emotion seems to spread throughout Shea Stadium when Nelson pitches and the whole place seems to jump and shake as the crowd seems to pull for him more than any other pitcher.
I never want this story to end. Keep it going, Nelson Figueroa, we're all behind you 110 percent.