I always hear how beautiful pitching duels are.

After tonight's AAA game between my home team, the Yucatan Lions, and the Oaxaca Warriors of the Mexican League, I'll start appreciating them more.

---

With ninety pesos on my hand, I was hesistating on whether to buy a new CD or whether go to tonight's play-off game above mentioned, and I'm sure, after the game, that I made the right decision. So did the other friends that joined me in the journey.

I turned right on the following exit and drove all the way to Kukulkan Park, which is located barely off town, just left of the interstate road and the peripherical highway.

It was a play-off game, the series-finale of the first round (Div. Series) and scheduled to start was the sensational sophomore-year lefthanded pitcher, Oscar Rivera.

Oscar, before the game, had declared that he'd do his best to win the game, no matter who gets the win or how. Boy, he was wrong.

Rivera pitched a perfect game, striking out nine batters; the first one in the Mexican League since June of 1992, when Don Heinkel pitched one with the Campeche Pirates.

Thirteen years. Rivera, 23, was just a child when Heinkel pitched his jewel.

"I wasn't decided to throw a perfect game, nor had I realised I had one going on until my teammates told me in the eight inning", said Rivera. "The only thing I wanted tonight was to win, not to earn the win, but this game is more than welcome."

Yucatan advanced to the next round of play-offs, and Rivera said he was eager to get going. He's not going to be named now as a future star of baseball, but as the author of a play-off perfect game.

As soon as he struck out pinch hitter Jose Montenegro in the ninth, on a full count pitch, the sellout crowd of 14,000 started cheering the pitcher's name and some even dared to jump into the field to congratulate the young man. This person whose text you're reading, made sure to be one of those who entered the field. Don't worry, I didn't cause much trouble.

Rivera said that the only thing that he wanted to do when as he finished his gem was to get off the field and kiss his wife, who was seating on the home plate section thoughtout the game; he did so, but just after heaps of interviews and fanatic yells.

Not even his love for baseball can overcome what he feels for his family, let alone his wife.

I'm so glad I turned right on the highways' exit. I'm eighteen. I've seen one of the best things in the game of baseball. Well worth the ninety pesos.