To avoid deportation, a crook gives new info on the murder of Gonzalo Lugue, who was granted asylum from Cuba in 1998 by reaching dry land before police could touch him and drafted into big league baseball.
Tropes:
- Baseball Episode: Gonzalo Luque was a professional baseball player in Cuba, before he was banned by the government, leading him to run away and seek asylum in America, succeeding and being drafted into the big leagues.
- Batter Up!: Gonzalo was killed by a baseball bat given to him as an olive branch by a former team rival.
- Career-Ending Injury:
- Gonzalo's teammate Eric "Showtime" Hynes messed up his hamstring.
- Juan, who was known for being pitching fastballs, had his pitching arm broken in prison after he was sent back to Cuba. This forces him to live off his cousin's charity while he works as a construction worker. His anger at losing his talent, as well as the news of Gonzalo firing his agent Jaime Reyes a day before the latter was going to give him a tryout, leads to him killing Gonzalo in a rage.
- Defector from Commie Land: The episode opens with Gonzalo and his fellow Cuban players arriving to American shores on wooden rafts. The then "wet feet, dry feet
" policy says that if they reach dry land without any of the waiting cops catching them, they will be granted asylum. Gonzalo is the only one who makes it, while the rest, including his cousin Juan, are sent back to Cuba. - Human Traffickers: Oz Leon specializes in smuggling Cubans to the United States. Jaime Reyes, Gonzalo's agent, pays him to bring Gonzalo's family to the US, but double-crosses Gonzalo when he secretly instructs Oz to bring in two baseball players instead of Gonzalo's parents. Oz, who had given Gonzalo a "family discount", threatens the family due to the surprise presence of the ballplayers he would have charged more for. Gonzalo pays him off and confronts Reyes, whose claims that he plans to bring in the elder Luques afterward with the money the other ballplayers bring in fail to keep Gonzalo from firing Reyes over this dangerous breach of trust.
- I Coulda Been a Contender!: Showtime Hynes never reached his full potential due to his self-destructive behavior and his injuries. He still looks back fondly on his Glory Days playing ball in Taiwan.
- Madness Mantra: After fatally injuring Gonzalo, Juan repeatedly says, "I have nothing!"
- Took a Level in Badass: Gonzalo was apparently reliant on Juan in making decisions. He found that he could do more by himself once he arrived in the US. Juan had become jealous and resentful of how he had become a shadow of his former self while Gonzalo blossomed and prospered.
- Tragic Villain: Juan was more proactive than Gonzalo; it was even his idea to defect to the US. He did not make it but Gonzalo did. Juan was sent to prison in Cuba where his arm was broken, ruining his baseball prospects. He eventually escaped as well but the damage was done. He accidentally killed Gonzalo in a fit of rage after realizing that he has to continue to rely on his cousin's charity.
