Norge Luis Vera Peralta (born October 3, 1971 in Siboney

Siboney, Cuba

Siboney is a town in Cuba east of the city of Santiago de Cuba. In 1898 Siboney and the nearby village of Daiquirí were locations where American forces came ashore in the Spanish-American War...

, Santiago de Cuba Province

Santiago de Cuba Province

Santiago de Cuba Province is the second most populated province in the island of Cuba. The largest city Santiago de Cuba is the main administrative center...

, Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

) is a right-handed baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

, who has been a frequent member of the Cuban national baseball team.

In Cuba, Vera pitches for Santiago de Cuba of the Cuban National Series

Cuban National Series

The Cuban National Series is the primary domestic amateur baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban national baseball system.-League structure:...

. He has been a dominating force for years, including the 1999-2000 series

1999-2000 Cuban National Series

The 39th Cuban National Series was marked by Santiago de Cuba's remarkable postseason run to win its second straight National Series. Under the direction of manager Higinio Vélez, the Avispas won eleven straight games in the playoffs, sweeping Camagüey, Granma and finally Pinar del Río.-Group...

, when he led the league with a 0.97 ERA

Earned run average

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

, 17 victories and eight shutouts—all in a 90-game season.

Vera was seriously injured in November 2009, while trying to stop a fight as an uninvolved bystander in Santiago, Cuba. He was struck in the face by a blunt instrument, sustaining several fractures to the upper jaw. Zadys Navarro, one of Vera's doctors, indicated that reconstructive surgery would be required.