Sometimes terms like perseverance, sacrifice and overcoming odds are thrown around a bit too liberally in sports. That is not the case when those words are used to describe brothers Livan and Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez.

It may be notable when someone perseveres through an injury or a star player sacrifices some of his individual numbers for the betterment of the team, but the Hernandez brothers understand what overcoming odds in sports truly means. ESPN will chronicle their story in its latest 30 for 30 series, “Brothers in Exile.”

The documentary will air on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Both Hernandez brothers risked their lives, and the lives of their families back home in Cuba, in an effort to reach Major League Baseball as pitchers. Multiple World Series rings later, their story is one of the most incredible ones in recent baseball history.

Livan left Cuba first as a top-notch pitching prospect. He defected to Mexico and then signed a four-year, $4.5 million deal with the Florida Marlins after a multi-team bidding war. To put that in perspective, he made six dollars a month playing baseball for the Cuban government before that.

Livan went on to win Most Valuable Player awards in the National League Championship Series and World Series for the 1997 Marlins. He finished his 17-year career with a 178-177 record, 4.44 ERA, nine shutouts, one save, a Silver Slugger and two All-Star appearances to go along with that championship.

However, perhaps his lasting legacy was the fact that his defection started the trend of Cuban players defecting to countries outside of the Rule 4 draft boundaries so they could be free agents in the eyes of MLB teams.

Hernandez officially retired earlier this year and joined the Washington Nationals’ staff to work with the young pitchers on the team.

He’s one of the few guys we can call legends of the Washington Nationals. Again, he brings a lot to the table. First of all, he’s loved by everybody. Ownership, front office, the general manager loves him, all the players love him. And he’s got a wealth of knowledge for our pitching staff. And, I just like having him around. His attitude is infectious. His knowledge is great.

While Livan clearly took an immeasurable risk defecting to Mexico and joining the Marlins, his brother Orlando dealt with the fallout back home in Cuba.

He was suspected of helping Livan with the move and subsequently banned for life from the Cuban professional baseball team. It put him in a precarious position of exile in the sport and in his home country, so he fled on a small boat in 1997 on Christmas day.

Orlando was stranded on a deserted island, but the U.S. Coast Guard finally picked him up after days.

Incredibly, he was a member of the historic New York Yankees less than one year later.

Unlike Livan, the majority of the older Orlando’s baseball prime was spent in Cuba, but he still managed to pitch nine seasons in the MLB. He finished with a 90-65 record, 4.13 ERA, seven playoff appearances, an American League Championship Series MVP and a head-turning four World Series titles (three with the Yankees and one with the Chicago White Sox).

Like his brother Livan, Orlando actually finished his career in the Nationals organization on a minor league deal in 2010.

Director Mario Diaz provided some analysis on the film and the overall story, via ESPN.com:

My approach to directing this film was to tell El Duque's and Livan's story from their own unique perspective, tracking their thoughts and motivations through every challenge they faced. Most importantly, my goal was to provide an understanding of the reasons behind many Cuban defections and the fact that there is a real human cost associated with them. Many of these players make the decision to leave their country and their families knowing they might not be able to ever return. No matter how successful they become as Major League players, there is still a painful tradeoff.

While the story of the Hernandez brothers is certainly moving and impressive, their legacy will continue to shape baseball in the States moving forward.

Yes, there were Cuban players who came over before Livan and “El Duque,” but their courage helped spearhead the current crop of major league stars we see in the game today. Players like Yasiel Puig, Aroldis Chapman and Jose Abreu dominate baseball on a nightly basis in the wake of the decisions by the Hernandez brothers.

Livan and Orlando risked their lives and put themselves and their families in danger. Now they are considered MLB pioneers.

That is a striking legacy. 

*More information can be found on the documentary’s official website, here.

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