Japa Fulfilling A Lifelong Dream

STATEN ISLAND, NY- For Rolando Japa, pitching in the Yankee farm system is a dream come true.

The lifelong Yankee fan's dream was realized when his favorite team signed him as a nonroster free agent on November 26, 2003.

"I felt good because that's the team I wanted to sign with and that I got lucky enough when they were the ones who took me on," Japa said after tossing six hitless innings and striking out four en route to his second win of the season for the Baby Bombers.

"I didn't know I was throwing a no-hitter. I was focused on every inning."

"[Japa] was awesome today and definitely kept us in the game. That's all you ask for your pitchers. He definitely had a hell of a day," noted first baseman Kyle Larsen.

"He's got great stuff. He's got electric stuff," boasted left fielder Brian Aragon. "We're real confident when he's on the mound and we feed off his confidence and he was out there tonight just throwing a lot of strikes, letting us make plays for him and he just had a great night."

Last year, the 21 year-old Dominican Republic native helped pitch the Gulf Coast Yankees to a championship.

"I felt great because I pitched the first game in the playoffs and we won and that was one of my best games," said the righthander who enjoys playing basketball and listening to rap music in his spare time.

"That's the highlight of my career so far."

With him hailing from the same country, Japa's favorite major league ballplayer is the Mets' Pedro Martinez. The three-time Cy Young winner has been instrumental in helping out his fellow countryman by giving him some friendly advice.

"[Pedro] has talked to me about how to pitch and how to work hard and work as hard as he does to get to the top."

"I look to throw the pitches that he throws because they're obviously good pitches, Japa commented on whether he tries to pattern his game like Pedro.

"I'm not trying to imitate at him at all. I'm trying to do my own thing my own way."

If he continues to pitch the way he did Tuesday, it won't be long before he makes a name for himself.