They share a homeland, but precious little else.

	Arrojo

	Hernandez

One has acquired the reputation as a terrific big-game pitcher; the other has, really, never pitched in a big game.

One is known for his intensity; the other for his perceived indifference.

One survives on a variety of off-speed pitches and funky deliveries; one relies almost solely on his fastball and slider.

One sailed off his island to freedom; one defected while already visiting the United States.

And yet, Orlando Hernandez and Rolando Arrojo are inexorably linked, friends in a strange land, rivals moved to another stage.

In their native Cuba, they pitched for archrivals -- Hernandez for powerhouse Industriales, Arrojo for Villa Clara. Transported to the U.S., the parallel is similar -- El Duque pitches for the dynastic Yankees, Arrojo for the long-suffering Red Sox.

But their shared history makes for an intoxicating matchup Saturday, which is why, even in the aftermath of Friday's night terrific duel between Pedro Martinez and Mike Mussina, the pairing of El Duque and Arrojo stands as the most compelling of the weekend.

While the Red Sox and Yankees battle for AL East supremacy, the two Cubans continue a rivalry which has its roots in another land and another time, a country where baseball is treated with religious fervor and is fiercely nationalistic.

It's against this backdrop that the two renew acquaintances Saturday, meeting for just the second time as major leaguers.

Their showdowns in Cuba were the stuff of legends -- two dominant pitchers, in the prime of their careers. Think Pedro Martinez vs. Roger Clemens, without the age difference.

Asked how many times they pitched against one another, Arrojo shrugs and smiles. "Mucho ... mucho,'' he said, drawing on the memories.

Those may be fond remembrances for the two, but their only meeting on U.S. soil is fresh. It took place Sept. 11, 2000, some six weeks after Arrojo had been traded for the second time, this deal sending him from Colorado to Boston.

He had pitched decently for the Sox since arriving, but there was no denying that the prospect of pitching against his countryman challenged him. In Tampa Bay and Colorado, Arrojo had earned a reputation as a pitcher who frequently lost focus.

Perhaps the lifestyle of the American professional athletes had served to spoil him and rob him of his competitive manner. Perhaps not even the prospect of his first playoff race could compare to the drama -- on and off the field -- he experience in Cuba.

But on that night, Arrojo shone brightly, pitching 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball in a game the Sox went on to win 4-0. By then, El Duque had become known as the consummate October performer, with a spotless 5-0 mark in the postseason and two World Series rings to call his own.

For Arrojo, accustomed to being on the sidelines when the playoffs arrived, the meeting with El Duque was his own World Series and he made the most of it. After the game, he called the performance one of his best.

As they prepare to meet again Saturday, each has weathered a difficult season, limited by injuries. Arrojo's start last Monday against Detroit was his first since going on the disabled list in late June. Hernandez has been in and out of the rotation since the spring and heard his name frequently mentioned in trade rumors.

El Duque, suspended Friday for five games for his part in a beanball war with Toronto last week and clearly agitated by the disciplinary action (he's appealing), refused to comment on facing Arrojo. Arrojo, noting that the novelty had passed now that they've opposed each other in the big leagues, maintained through an interpreter that it was merely "a normal game, like a regular game.''

It's not, of course.

In Cuba, while the game will not be televised, word will spread quickly, with details perhaps made known on Radio Marti. Though the Cuban government discourages talk of players who've defected, fans continue to follow the careers of Arrojo, Hernandez and others devoutly, if furtively.

Arrojo, who replaced Darren Oliver in the Red Sox rotation in late May, has had three starts in which he didn't allow a run and two others in which he allowed just two. Only his June 24 start against Los Angeles was sub-par, and that, in retrospect, was the result of shoulder tendinitis which landed him on the DL 72 hours later.

El Duque, once a Yankees mainstay, holds a more tentative grip on a spot in the rotation. When Roger Clemens returns from the DL, Hernandez could be pushed aside, sacrificed for newcomer Jeff Weaver.

But this afternoon, in a nationally televised game, perhaps the two will restablish not only themselves but their rivalry -- personal, friendly, and lengthy.

El Duque and Rolando Arrojo cannot go home again -- literally. But on the Yankee Stadium mound, they can pretend for a few hours.

Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal covers baseball for ESPN.com.